COMEDIAN Noel Fielding gave evidence today (Tuesday) in a High Court case in which his friend Jimmy Browne – Amy Winehouse's former minder – claims he was assaulted by police.

The Mighty Boosh actor and Mr Browne were bundled to the floor and handcuffed by police in Kentish Town on April 4, 2010, before being taken to a police station to be searched, the court heard.

It is claimed officers had “no lawful justification for the amount of force used” when arresting Mr Browne, who has brought the civil case against the Metropolitan Police.

Appearing at the Royal Court of Justice in the Strand, Mr Fielding said: “It's quite stressful. It's quite shocking. I've never had anything like that happen to me before.”

He told the court he was walking to Sainsbury's in Kentish Town Road at 10am with Mr Browne – a poet, who was previously employed by the late Ms Winehouse to shield her from the paparazzi – to pick up some milk and bread following a party at a nearby flat. He had spent the evening at the Hawley Arms pub in Castlehaven Road after performing at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, he said. 

Jimmy Browne has brought the case against the Met, claiming assault

Questioned by Edwin Buckett, representing the Metropolitan Police, if the all-night party had affected his memory, Mr Fielding said: “It's not unusual for me to stay up all night if I've done a gig, because of the adrenaline.”

He said Mr Browne was not employed as his minder, but they were at the party in a “social capacity” and knew one another from nights in the Hawley Arms.

Mr Fielding said he was not able to directly see Mr Browne being “manhandled” by officers because he was hunched over with his hands cuffed behind his back. 

He said: “I could hear stuff. I couldn't really see, but I could hear what was happening. I could definitely tell there was a struggle.”

Asked about a statement, sent by his solicitor, that said Mr Fielding had not witnessed officers assault Mr Browne, he said: “I think what I meant was that I was not an eye-witness…but it was pretty obvious what was going on.”

In a statement, made after the arrest in October 2010, Mr Fielding said: “The next thing I knew, I was being grabbed from behind and manhandled to the ground by one or more police officers.”

Mr Buckett questioned this version of events and said they were “not accurate.” CCTV footage appeared to show Mr Fielding and Mr Browne talking to a police officer before they were tackled, he said.

But Mr Fielding said he was not aware that the man was a police officer at first and believed he was a fan. Referring to CCTV footage of the arrest, he said: “It's light and there was a lot of people and I do get approached a lot because I'm on television.”

Mr Buckett told the court that Mr Fielding was easily recognisable on the day because he was wearing “gold shoes and a woman's coat”.

Mr Fielding replied that he had come straight from his West End gig without getting changed and “wouldn't usually march around in golden boots and a boiler suit”.

The hearing continues.