The lawyer of a man who was detained as a Metropolitan police officer briefly applied pressure with his knee to his neck area has demanded an official apology for his client. Timur Rustem said the case of Marcus Coutain “mirrors almost identically what happened to George Floyd” in the US, and the Crown Prosecution Service should review the case, drop charges against Coutain and offer a formal apology. Coutain, 48, who was filmed pleading with officers to “get off my neck” as he was handcuffed on the pavement in Islington, north London, on Thursday evening, appeared at Highbury Corner magistrates court on Saturday charged with possessing a knife in public, to which he indicated a plea of not guilty. He was granted technical bail as the case was sent to Snaresbrook crown court on 17 August. Rustem told the court his client had initially been searched for drugs and had then been told he matched the description of “someone involved in an attack”. He told the court Coutain had the knife for repairing his bicycle, adding: “He had a lawful reason to have that item on him.” Rustem named officer David Herald in court and read his statement, which said: “I considered I used proportionate, necessary and reasonable force.” As Coutain appeared in the dock for the 15-minute hearing, protesters from Stand Up to Racism staged a demonstration against police brutality outside Islington police station. The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, is investigating the manner of the arrest on Thursday evening, which has resulted in one officer being suspended and another placed on restricted duties. Speaking outside court, Rustem said: “Essentially Mr Coutain was stopped and searched for matters for which he has not been charged. It is the use of what I would regard as excessive force, a knee being placed on his neck … references which mirror exactly what happened to George Floyd in America. “A man saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘get your knee off my neck’ while he was already handcuffed and while he was restrained by two police officers.” Rustem said Coutain received injuries to his wrists and neck that were “fortunately minimal”. He said: “Fortunately it didn’t lead to the tragic consequences that we saw in America.” The deputy Met commissioner, Sir Steve House, described footage of the arrest as “deeply disturbing” and said some of the techniques he saw were “not taught in police training” and caused him “great concern”. Victor Olisa, a former Met chief superintendent, said: “As a retired police officer it was very disturbing to watch that video and realise it occurred within the last couple of days. That technique is not one that is taught. It represents an excessive use of force and has real risks about it. In this case it is key to disentangle police actions, the court hearing and the IOPC investigation.” Referring also to the often automatic handcuffing of black males during searches, he added: “I genuinely do fear these types of police practice are going to inflame community tensions.”