PC assaulted man and teenager in lockdown
A POLICE officer has been convicted of assaulting two members of the public on consecutive days during the first Covid lockdown – including an attack on a boy of 15.
PC Declan Jones committed both offences while on duty in Birmingham, a court heard.
He attacked a 30-year-old man in Aston in April last year, and the next day kicked a boy he wrongly accused of possessing drugs.
A judge said a video of the assault on the teen, which was leaked online, was ‘disastrous public relations’ for the West Midlands force.
‘You punched him to the ground, then kicked him like taking a free kick in football,’ District Judge Qureshi said of the assault in Newtown.
PC Jones denied the assaults, telling Coventry magistrates’ court he ‘honestly believed’ the pair had weapons hidden on their person. But the judge replied: ‘PC Jones has a paranoia that everyone in a high crime area has concealed weapons. I query if he was suited to work in those areas.’
The officer was cleared of assaulting a third man, who was punched in the face in Handsworth on April 23 last year, after the judge ruled PC Jones had used ‘proportionate’ force to detain the complainant. But he said footage of all the incidents showed officers did not wear face masks while on patrol.
‘It is embarrassing. The videos do not show police in a good light,’ he added. PC Jones will be sentenced on September 10. He will also face a police misconduct hearing for using ‘a totally inappropriate’ use of force.