Travelling on the 96 bus to Headingley in Leeds, a smartly dressed sales executive began to fall into a hypoglycaemic coma, his fellow passengers remained oblivious and the special diabetic tag around his neck was out of sight. Nicholas Gaubert was heading for a drink with friends but instead ended falling into a coma on the top deck of his commuter bus. The driver was used to throwing drunks off the bus at night after arriving back at the depot, but this time he checked the top deck it was a Wednesday afternoon.

It was unusual but would probably not have been an issue a week before as this incident happened just six days after the London terrorist bombings. Suspicion, especially on public transport, was rife so the driver kept his distance and attempted to wake him up to no avail. He left the bus to inform his superiors who cleared the depot and contacted the police. The nearby ASDA supermarket was also evacuated and eight firearms officers were sent.

Although he didn't look like a textbook terrorist and the bus was empty, he was sweating profusely and wouldn't respond to their orders. Since they couldn't see his hands, one of the officers reached for his 50,000 volt electric taser and with one final warning, pulled the trigger. It was the first time a West Yorkshire officer had deployed the non-lethal weapon and the second came when he still failed to respond to orders.

After an overall period of ten seconds of the electricity buzzing through his body, Gaubert was slumped on the ground and the officers no longer considered him a threat, he was cuffed and thrown in the back of a police van. En route to the station he was able to alert officers he needed urgent medical attention and was taken directly to Leeds general infirmary.

Mr Gaubert launched a personal injury claim against the West Yorkshire police which ended up in a six figure out of court settlement and a formal apology. His case is the first of its kind in the UK but predictably not the last as the controversial use of the taser has caused many deaths and injuries in the US.