POLICE who arrested a man who was seeking their help acted lawfully, a court ruled yesterday.

Andrew Taylor approached Cleveland Police after he was attacked on the same night that he proposed to his girlfriend.

He wanted police to arrest his attackers, who were still in Exchange Square, in Middlesbrough town centre.

But police could not understand him and thought he was drunk.

Mr Taylor was trying to explain what had happened, but his injuries were so severe he accidentally spat blood on one officer when he spoke.

He was repeatedly asked to calm down, but when he kept shouting and pointing, he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

A small amount of cannabis was found in his pocket at Middlesbrough police station following the incident, in the early hours of Christmas Eve, in 2000.

He appeared in court and was given a conditional discharge after he pleaded guilty to possessing a class B drug.

A second charge of being drunk and disorderly was dropped.

Mr Taylor, 35, of Acklam Road, Middlesbrough, tried to sue Cleveland Police for unlawful arrest, assault, unlawful imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

He said the officers held him down with their feet and hit him on the back of the head when he struggled.

Darlington County Court ruled that arresting officer PC Timothy Lowe believed that Mr Taylor was drunk and about to attack him.

Recorder Michael Slater said: "He approached the officers angry and upset because of the unprovoked attack and the serious injuries he had sustained, coupled with the fact it was supposed to be one of the happiest nights of his life.

"I do not think that this is a way that he would have normally behaved and it cannot be excused, but it can be understood, bearing in mind what had happened.

"He said in evidence that he had been arguing with the police about what had happened that night."

The claimant's case was dismissed.

After the hearing, Mr Taylor said he had endured years of hell since the attack.

He said: "I am going to have to live with the fact that the lads who did this to me have got away."