A copper who was jailed and sacked for assaulting a punter has overturned the conviction and got his job back.
As good an effort at hook-wriggling as I've ever seen.
Is his pension worth that much to him?
Probably.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-16007845
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He'd have got his pension anyway (the rules were changed a few years ago) - he's used the country's judicial system as he was entitled to. Wouldn't you ?
He was sacked by a quasi judicial and unaccountable forum.
Last edited by: R.P. on Sat 3 Dec 11 at 08:58
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An appeal or judicial review of the tribunal's proceedings would be worth seeing.
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...An appeal or judicial review of the tribunal's proceedings would be worth seeing...
The acquittal on appeal put the tribunal in a difficult position.
Just because the copper is not guilty of a criminal offence, it doesn't mean he cannot be guilty of a disciplinary one.
But on t'other hand, the not guilty verdict is fairly powerful support for the notion the copper didn't do a lot wrong in this situation.
I've not read the tribunal's decision, but they could have found him guilty of a disciplinary offence, but not a sackable one.
Either way, the copper's done well to engineer such a big turn around from the clang of the prison gates to back in the job at the same rank.
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Plenty of discipline offences they could have found on, but they didn't. not even a mention on "words of advice" maybe the whole story isn't there. But as I ask iffy - wouldn't you ?
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...But as I ask iffy - wouldn't you ?...
Yes - assuming I was propelled by a crushing sense of injustice at the original verdict.
While he would have had the finest representation the federation can buy, the appeal court should have treated his case like any other.
He was acquitted, so the original verdict does look a bit, er, iffy.
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finest representation the federation can buy,
And what's that got to do with it ??? Do you know for a fact that he subscribes to the Federation ? A lot of Officers don't.
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...He'd have got his pension anyway...
It may have been reduced - there's a sacked copper in Scotland who's arguing about a 25 per cent reduction in his pension.
And this officer would certainly have been denied the opportunity to contribute any further to it.
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Is his pension worth that much to him?
.....and yes of course it is, along with his reputation and freedom. So there !
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...along with his reputation and freedom. So there !...
Quite right, it should give us all a nice warm feeling to see justice - in all its forms - done.
I expect they will be calling him The Comeback Kid in the nick. :)
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Either way it was a perverse reversal. Its patently clear by his body language, immediately after the event, that he chucked her on the floor and meant it.
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The process has also taken way too long.
According to the BBC report, she hit the floor on a date in July, 2008.
Here we are nearly three-and-half years later, and it's only just sorted.
And it might not be yet, if the police authority press ahead with their appeal.
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Personally I don't think he'll survive long in the Service.
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Nah he wont, his superiors will be all over him like a rash, life will be intolerable.
Mind he will probably go for constructive dismisal!
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 3 Dec 11 at 10:11
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The tribunal in these cases seems to constituted ad-hoc as cases arise (rather than a standing body like the Employment Tribunal).
Assuming he's not a senior officer the tribunal would comprise a legally qualified chair (min 7 yrs post qualification), a senior officer, a member of the relevant police authority and a retired officer who was a member of a staff association.
He's a very lucky boy. But as RP says (and notwithstanding any JR or appeal) I don't think he'll last long.
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When this was originally posted on here, I did wonder about the harshness of the sentence and whether or not there was more to it.
The Sergeant was convicted of assault, the assault being the recklessness of him putting the women in the cell by pushing her i.e. he wasn't alleged to have clumped her or anything, just been too heavy handed.
There are many, many punters who have to be manhandled in to police cells and the inebriated ones are normally the worst. It's a daily occurrence.
It's no good putting the woman's gender as a reason he should have been more circumspect...I have seen some truly awful harridans, who will spit, bite, scratch, anything they can possibly do. I've even seen people banging their heads deliberately, to then be able to claim they've been assaulted.
Then there's the reaction of this chap's senior officers...to the outside world you'd imagine that if they are most robust at wanting someone prosecuted or sacked, then there 'must be a reason' for that...well there is....politics, political correctness, abhorrence at recieving poor publicity, promotion seeking, etc...sadly, the firm standing behind someone when they really need it is a rarity.
So, not knowing all the facts, i'd suggest keeping an open mind...he may be a heavy handed bully who has been lucky...or... someone exceptionally hard done by, dealing with very difficult inebriated people day in day out and one has gone 'horribly wrong'.
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Interesting to see the ex insiders pov Westpig. Thanks for expanding the debate.
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I don't see what all the fuss is about, it didn't look like an assault to me.
Having once had a job where it was occassionaly necessary to man-handle people it isn't as easy as it looks and to an outsider using reasonable force can often seem as if you are beating the crap out of somebody.
Even someone who is physically much smaller than yourself can put up a surprisingly high degree of resistance if they are determined and drunks are a nightmare to deal with.
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Reasonable force?
He's a lot bigger than her and he threw her to the ground. Bit of a bully from my view
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Someone resisting, then letting go suddenly might be self-propelled to some extent. She shouldn't have got drunk, then she wouldn't have to be forced into a cell. I feel sorry for the police having to deal with such nuisances.
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Refusing a breath test.
She's been very lucky indeed.
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Was she drunk? He is still a bully in my opinion,lucky with her face bashed in.
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A master hook-wriggler - R.P.
