English courts use guideline figures for wrongful arrest/false imprisonment: the starting point is around £500 for the first hour of loss of liberty, with a full 24-hour wrongful detention normally attracting about £3,000 total (some firms cite closer to £1,000-1,400 for the first hour, £6-7k for 24 hours, depending on aggravating factors). Even five-minute detentions have resulted in payouts around £200. Rates taper the longer detention goes on, the first hour is compensated more heavily than hour 20, on the logic that initial shock matters more than continued duration. On top of basic damages, courts can add aggravated damages (distress, humiliation) and, rarely, exemplary damages up to around £50,000 for serious police misconduct, though that requires proving something like malice or oppressive conduct, not just an honest mistake.
This.
As a self defence practitioner I tell people two things about self defence in the UK.
1. PUT DOWN THE DAILY MAIL. it's full of lies, you are 100% within your rights to defend yourself, with force if required, in the UK. The whole "you can't even defend your family" in the UK is utter bull meant to keep you more scared of phantoms than fascists.
2, If your attacker flees or attempts to flee... Let them go. This is the only major thing that'll end up harming a self defence legal defence, which is all or nothing in the UK. There are no degrees of self defence, you either did or didn't, you walk or you get done. Attempting to restrain, imprison or any way prevent an attacker from fleeing will seriously harm any chance of getting off by claiming self defence. Further more, injuries sustained during an attack, even if not related to the attempt to restrain may then be considered excessive that would not be otherwise as it then becomes your responsibility to show that the injuries were not sustained as a result of trying to restrain the assailant.
Beyond that, it's actually incredibly difficult to restrain someone. This is why cops, bouncers, et al. in the UK typically use 4 on 1 when restraining someone (1 per limb). Trying to hold someone down is more likely to result in an injury to yourself. Yes, you can defend yourself, your family and your property but if they run, just let them go. Pat yourself on the back as you've successfully defended yourself and make sure everyone's OK and then find a nice spot to sit down as the adrenaline crash is an absolute bitch (worse is when your senses come back to you, you'll start to question everything you did, did you need to fight, did I hurt someone, what if I had been injured). If you can get someone else to check you for injuries as well.
