Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Top cop on charge of assaulting child
A TOP Tayside police officer has been accused of assaulting a child over a four-year period.
Detective Chief Inspector Iain Wales is set to stand trial next week at Forfar Sheriff Court.
DCI Wales — who has been involved in a number of prominent investigations throughout his career — has denied assaulting the child.
The 48-year-old has also been accused of subjecting the same youngster to threatening or aggressive behaviour in June.
The police chief, whose address was listed in court as Tayside Police Division headquarters, Bell Street, has also denied this charge.
It’s alleged that between dates in 2013 and 2017, on various occasions, he repeatedly seized the child — who cannot be named for legal reasons — by the clothing before pushing the youngster on the body and on to a bed.
He then allegedly seized the child by the body, pulled the youngster by the body, causing the youngster to fall to the floor to the youngster’s injury.
A second charge states that Wales behaved i n a threatening or abusive manner, which was likely to cause a reasonable person fear or alarm, in June this year.
It’s claimed he shouted and acted in an aggressive manner towards the child.
The offences are alleged to have happened at an address in Angus.
Not guilty pleas were confirmed at an intermediate diet and the case will continue to trial.
The Tele asked Police Scotland for a comment but the force had not responded at the time of going to press.
The Scottish Police Federation, which represents serving officers across the country, also did not respond to a request for comment.
Wales has been involved in a number of high-profile investigations in Tayside, including Operation Ferry.
The operation, which was launched in December last year, probed a series of alleged high-value thefts in Dundee.
Wales also formerly headed up Tayside Division’s public protection unit.