Policeman in driver attack spared prison
A POLICE officer has avoided jail after assaulting a man during a traffic stop.
PC Charlie Thompson, 25, was yesterday found guilty of beating Zeki Badruddin after allegedly elbowing him on the head.
The Volkswagen Golf driver was stopped on suspicion of using a mobile phone on January 19.
Police used incapacitant spray and handcuffed him at the A127 in Basildon, Essex, after a scuffle.
It was alleged Thompson then arrived and “went in like a bull in a China shop”.
Chelmsford magistrates heard he placed his hand “firmly” on the victim’s shoulder and twice forced him to the ground.
District Judge Christopher Williams handed Thompson a 12-week jail term, suspended for a year.