A soldier who hoped to inspire people in the wake of the Clapham Junction riots with his art found himself being wrongly arrested for looting Debenhams.

Private Adjani Okpe-Egbe, 32, of Wynter Street, Clapham Junction, is a talented self-taught artist who went out onto the street three days after the August 8 riots to paint in public in a bid to inspire others to do something positive.

But instead he found himself being handcuffed by police and held in a cell overnight after an over-zealous member of the public accused him of stealing a t-shirt from Debenhams.

After spending the night in Lavender Hill police station on August 11, he was released the following morning when his partner managed to produce the receipt for the t-shirt.

The t-shirt had been on the pavement beside his paintings having bought from the looted department store weeks earlier.

It still had the sales tag on and he was planning to use it for a future art project.

Pte Okpe-Egbe, who has served in the Adjutant General's Corps for the past four years, said: "I went down and started painting and quite a few people commented on what I was doing.

"This lady came and said to me she liked it.

"She then said the t-shirt was on a mannequin on the night of the riots and I had stolen it. I said to her its from Debenhams but I did not steal it.

"She rang the police and then they surrounded me like I had just committed murder.

"They asked me where I got it from and I said Debenhams and that I had the receipt at home.

"Before I knew I was handcuffed. I explained what I was trying to do but they would not even listen to me."

He was taken to the police station and was not able to speak to anyone before 11pm, which meant that he was not released until the following morning after his partner produced the receipt.

He said: "Its made me feel really terrible and I was so depressed about the whole thing.

"I don't want to waste money investigating this. All I want is a simple apology."

Wandsworth Police refused to comment except to confirm that he had been arrested and released without charge.

Find out more about Pte Okpe-Egbe's work at adjaniarts.com

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