A ROYAL Marine enjoying his first weekend home for more than two months was wrongly arrested after police mistook him for a burglary getaway driver.

Kayle Stannard, 21, was enjoying a rare weekend back home in York and was returning from a night out, when officers stopped him in the street. Marine Stannard, who serves with 45 Regiment in the Response Force Task Group, said: “They just came out of nowhere, told me to get on the floor.”I was telling them I had receipts and my entire route home was on CCTV.

“They started reading out all these charges at me, suggesting I was a getaway driver.

“I was in light clothes, white trainers, and a grey top, it was very specific what I was wearing, so I can’t imagine anyone would give that description of a burglar.”

Marine Stannard, who lives in Fifth Avenue but is now back with his regiment in Arbroath, said: “The next day, about 2pm, they released me and couldn’t apologise enough, but it’s no consolation.

“They raided my house as well, while I was in the cells, at about 10am, and took all my trainers for some reason. They gave me them all straight back, but my nieces were in the house and were very scared.”

Police arrested three men in the early hours of Sunday, December 9, following burglaries at commercial premises across York. In a separate incident officers followed a Volkswagen Lupo from the scene of the burglary to where it was abandoned in Buttercrambe Road. A 17-year-old was arrested and later released on bail for driving offences, and Marine Stannard said he was arrested simply because he was in the area.

Marine Stannard said: “They said ‘wrong place at the wrong time’, but then said I was garden hopping. At that time in the weather conditions, I had white trainers on and would be covered in mud, but I didn’t know where they got that from.

“I had white shoes on and not a speck of mud on them. It’s just bizarre. It shouldn’t affect my work, but it doesn’t look good when getting arrested for nothing. I’m consulting with a solicitor at the moment. I don’t feel an apology is enough from the police.”

Paula Shepherd, Kayle’s mother, said: “He didn’t know anything about it, he’d just been out with friends.

“I feel really sorry for him, that the first weekend leave in two-and-a-half months was spent in a Fulford Road prison cell. I’m absolutely furious about it.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: “We understand that a formal complaint will be made in the coming days and it will be dealt with appropriately by the Professional Standards Unit. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”