Deaf Man Arrested for Signing

The Daily Mail has the story that a British deaf man was arrested for using sign language while out celebrating his birthday. Shaun Phuprate, who was arrested after a serious misunderstanding with police officers, says officers failed to recognise that he was using sign language, deciding instead that he was being deliberately offensive.

The Mail takes up the story...

Mr Phuprate, who had been celebrating his 22nd birthday, was eventually bundled into a patrol car, along with his 20-year-old brother Michael, who tried to intervene.

Mr Phuprate was charged with being drunk and disorderly and his brother with causing harassment, alarm or distress following the incident in March.

He told Sunderland magistrates through an interpreter: 'The police officer got out of his car, but I couldn't understand what he was saying.

'I lifted my hand next to my head to try to tell the policeman I was deaf. My fingers were actually together, but he obviously thought I was giving him a V-sign. I repeated it again and that just seemed to make him even angrier.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-131518/Police-arresting-deaf-man-signing.html#ixzz1G5TlSoz9

The Mail could do with updating some of their terminology though...