Police officer did not assault man outside hostel, says watchdog

A PSNI officer accused of assaulting a man outside a hostel has been cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation by the police watchdog.

The officer, who had been attending the hostel in Belfast city centre with a colleague on an unrelated matter, was accused by the man of knocking him to the ground.

The complainant also said that during the alleged assault in May last year, the officer had lifted him up by the handcuffs, before taking him to the ground again where he forcibly held him down.

He added that, after being placed in a cell van to be taken to the station, the same officer held his head to the floor again.

Staff from the Police Ombudsman’s office, which is headed by Dr Michael Maguire (above), investigated and reviewed CCTV footage of the area which cov- ered the entire incident outside the hostel.

They also took a statement from a staff member who witnessed the event, before interviewing the officer in question.

A review of the CCTV footage highlighted several inconsistencies in the account by the complainant, who said he had been arrested by uniformed officers and placed in a cell van.

The footage showed that the arresting officers were in plain clothes and he had been placed in a Land-Rover.

The footage also showed that the man had been acting aggressively and may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol — at one stage he had walked into the road, causing passing vehicles to brake.

A hostel staff member who witnessed the incident said the man had been refused entry, but had then tried to push past the two officers who had been dealing with a separate issue.

He said that the man had been aggressive and that a struggle had ensued when the officers went to arrest him, but he did not believe that excessive force had been used.

During formal interview with Police Ombudsman staff the police officer denied assaulting the man.

He said that as the man had been acting aggressively he had held his arms to prevent an assault.

The man was then taken to the ground where he was handcuffed and restrained until other officers arrived. He said that due to the man’s continued aggression, leg restraints were applied before he was placed in a police Land-Rover.

As the allegation of assault is a criminal allegation, a file was sent to the Public Prosecution Service, which directed there should be no prosecution.

A review of the evidence by Police Ombudsman staff showed no misconduct on the part of the officer. The case was subsequently closed.