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27 Oct 2014

‘I didn’t attack PM, I just brushed into him’ – Leeds runner

A man who appeared to collide with David Cameron, sparking a security alert, says it was more of a case of “brushing into someone while running”.

Mr Cameron, who had spoken about the second phase of the £50bn HS2 project, was leaving Leeds civic hall, when Dean Balboa Farley collided with him.

West Yorkshire Police said that there was “nothing sinister” about the incident, adding that the 28-year-old was “just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Chief Inspector Derek Hughes said: “No threats were made, and after the man’s details were checked, he was de-arrested and allowed on his way”. But the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said it was launching an investigation.

A Met spokesman said: “The man was arrested by local officers and was later de-arrested. The MPS specialist protection command is responsible for the personal protection of the prime minister and will now conduct a review of the incident in consultation with West Yorkshire Police.”

Mr Farley, who was pictured wearing a T-shirt with the metal band Tintagel, was reported to have been on his way to the local gym.

On his Facebook page, he said there had been suggestions that he had attacked Mr Cameron, which was untrue. It was more of a case of “brushing into someone while running”.

Video showed Mr Cameron apparently brace himself as he was approached at speed, before a bodyguard intervened to grapple with the man.

But Tory MP Mark Pritchard demanded a full investigation into how the Metropolitan Police security team allowed him to get so close to the prime minister.

He called for the Met’s commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe to launch an immediate internal inquiry.

He later said in a statement: “With the terror threat level increased, this cannot be allowed to happen again. The Met Commissioner should call an immediate and swift internal inquiry to discover why this happened and implement the necessary lessons learned as quickly as possible.”