AN autistic man who suffered psychological harm after being handcuffed, pulled off a bus and detained in police custody has won a five-figure payout.

He was unaware why he was being arrested and explained to the officers he had an autism alert card and suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome.

But he was held in custody for six hours and eventually the charges against him – following a complaint of sexual assault - were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Now, following the payout by the North Yorkshire force, his mother and his lawyers are calling for improvements in the way police deal with those with autism.

The incident happened in June, 2011, after the 33-year-old, known as JP, had visited York College to ask about enrolling on a course.

He spoke with a group of girls and gave one of them a hug but a misunderstanding led to him being accused of an offence he didn’t understand.

After leaving the college by bus to meet his mother, two officers stopped it and boarded it, handcuffing JP and pulling him off the bus.

He was unable to understand the nature of the offence he was accused of and could not understand what he was being told by the custody officer.

As a result he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and now has increased anxiety when coming into contact with people or is around the police and police stations.

His mother said: “From our experience it is clear there needs to be improvements in the way police deal with those with autism, particularly those who identify their condition and for whom detention in a cell for a long period of time can cause significant issues.”

Fiona McGhie, of specialist lawyers Irwin Mitchell who secured the out-of-court settlement, said: “There is a clear need for improved protection for vulnerable individuals in police custody, as well as the provision of additional training for officers in how to deal with those with additional needs.”

North Yorkshire’s Deputy Chief Constable Tim Madgwick said they had apologised for any stress and anxiety caused and had worked with JP since to try and help him overcome his fears.

He added: “Since this incident happened, we have introduced more awareness training for officers and staff, ranging from classroom-based training and staff development days to an internal awareness campaign so that staff are aware of the sensitivities and needs of people with autism.”