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SITUATION: Sapani

ACTOR DANNY Sapani revealed that police brutalising a family member of his over 30 years ago led to his attack on a police officer in 2009.

The 41-year-old was jailed for six months after he punched a police officer, two community support officers and a ticket inspector on a bus in an argument about his fair, but he said that any black man in the country could find themselves in the same situation.

Speaking to The Voice, Sapani explained how the traumatic event, led to his violent actions and eventual incarceration years later.

“My brother was beaten up by the police when I was 10-years-old and left on the door step. At that time Stoke Newington police was notorious for that sort of thing and it later went to court, he got compensation and stuff, but he was badly hurt,” said Sapani, who played Tony Morecombe in Misfits.

Although going through a divorce at the time, the actor said that on the surface, he did not have a reason to act the way he did, apart from what happened decades before.

“Things happen in your life that makes you reflect on how you were raised or what your experiences were when you were growing up, and that was certainly a moment.

“I often wonder why. I was doing very well, I was very happy and secure in my life, there was no reason for that event to happen. How did I get into that situation? It was a surprise that I should end up in that position.”

He added: “But then this is perhaps the experience of black men, growing up in this country, there is always, at any point, a demon from the past. The way things are, it is still more likely that one will end up in a situation that leads to prison.”