Armed robber sues over underpants arrest

An armed robber is suing police after they led him from a bank he'd held up in handcuffs with his trousers round his ankles.

Phillip Niere, 38, had threatened to kill staff at a branch of the Noris Bank in Aachen, Germany, if they didn't hand over £200,000.

But he surrendered after an hour when police negotiators convinced him he'd be treated with dignity. "The handcuffs are understandable, but what the police have to explain is why he was brought out with his jeans pulled down and his underwear on show.

"It is clearly a breach of his human rights and caused Mr Niere needless humiliation and embarrassment," said a lawyer.