West Midlands PC cleared of assault after hitting man – BBC News

0
688

A police officer has been cleared of wrongdoing after a court accepted he used reasonable force on a drunken man.
Jack Green, 28, a constable with West Midlands Police, was found not guilty assault by beating.
He told Birmingham Magistrates Court he was left with no option but to deliver a "distraction strike" after being sent to a call-out in Penn, Wolverhampton.
District Judge Shamim Qureshi said the alleged victim was a "person of no credibility whatsoever".
The court heard while on the way to the scene, PC Green and a colleague had been told by 999 the caller had said her partner was very drunk and had been looking for knives.
Prosecutor Alex Warren had claimed video from a police body-worn camera, and mobile footage filmed by a witness, showed the alleged victim, who is in his 30s, being assaulted at the home of his partner and her daughter.
PC Green told the court, in his evidence, he feared he was about to be punched, and the tactic he used had the desired effect.
District Judge Qureshi found PC Green not guilty part-way through the defence case.
He said the mobile phone footage clearly showed the use of force in a doorway at about 19:30 GMT on 16 February had been reasonable.
The judge added: It's quite clear that he (the alleged victim) was reluctant to be arrested and was not co-operating."
He said the footage showed the alleged victim moving his hands towards PC Green, adding the use of force was "proportionate to the threat as he (PC Green) perceived it".
The footage, shown during the prosecution's opening, ended with the complainant being arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage.
He was not prosecuted for any offence, the court was told, while PC Green had been charged after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Walsall tree planting ceremony marks Holocaust Memorial Day
Shock as nobody injured in three car crash despite vehicle flipping onto roof
Two men knifed in street as violence continues in Walsall
Arrest after drugs and machete seized in Dudley
Drivers unhurt in shocking Halesowen crash
Birmingham hailed 'best city' as singing revellers party in the street on Saturday night
Information about BBC links to other news sites
North Korea tests biggest missile since 2017
US East Coast hit with blizzards in heavy snowstorm
The truckers shutting down Canada's capital
Why Myanmar's peaceful protesters chose violence
Pianist hits the right note for YouTube millions. Video
The prison that ran out of food
Jamie Oliver: I'm not a fan of cookery competition shows
The US shrine that claims to hold Gandhi's ashes
Beijing Olympics: Five things to know. Video
Using food waste to make clean drinking water. Video
The country where it’s almost impossible to lose things
Why Germany isn't sending weapons to Ukraine
Was this just a freak accident?
How one ship triggered a global crisis…
Get cosy and enjoy a film!
There's something for everyone on BBC iPlayer
© 2022 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

source