After nine-year battle:

Payout for Guy

Guy Smallman in his hospital bed in Geneva Image © Pennie Quinton

Guy Smallman, the NUJ freelance photographer injured by a flash-bang grenade thrown at him by Geneva police while covering the G8 protests in Geneva in 2003 - has finally won 75,000 Swiss francs in compensation. He stands to get around £40,000 after legal costs. The settlement follows a 2009 court ruling in Switzerland in Guy's favour.

Back in 2003, Guy was with London Freelance Branch, which together with the Union's General Secretary and Freelance Office arranged support for Guy when he was in hospital with his injuries. This included mobilising the NUJ's sister union in Switzerland and NUJ members in Geneva, including outgoing Committee member Pennie Quinton, supporting Guy in hospital, laying on a driver to meet him at Gatwick on his return to take him straight to his GP, and organising NUJ hardship pay for him when he was off work.

See the NUJ website's report on Guy's win, with comments from him, and see here for his recent talk at LFB's New Ways to Make Journalism Pay conference on how he makes a living as a freelance photojournalist.

Guy Smallman speaking at a recent LFB conference Photo © Tony Rizzo