Blind man to sue police over Taser incident

LONDON (AFP) - A blind man is suing British police after he was tasered by an officer who mistook his white stick for a samurai sword, his lawyer said on Monday.

The incident happened in the market town of Chorley in Lancashire, north-west England, on Friday after police received reports of a man walking through the town carrying a sword.

One policeman thought he had tracked down the offender and asked 62-year-old Colin Farmer to stop. When he failed to do so, the officer stunned him with his Taser gun.

On realising the mistake, officers rushed the victim to a hospital where he was discharged after a check-up.