WIREDGOV

A South Wales Police officer has been cleared of using unnecessary force on a teenage boy in Bridgend.

An independent panel at a misconduct hearing held by South Wales Police concluded recently (22 May 2020) that PC Paul Evans did not breach the standards of professional behaviour.

The hearing was held following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the use of force on a boy in January 2018. Our investigation took five months and concluded in June 2018.

IOPC Director for Wales Catrin Evans recently said:

“When an allegation is made of this nature it is appropriate for us to carry out a thorough investigation into the circumstances. While we found a case to answer following our investigation, it is not for us to determine the outcome and this has been decided by a panel today.”

At the conclusion of our investigation, we referred the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service which authorised a charge of common assault. PC Evans was found not guilty of assault at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court in October 2018.

Following PC Evans’ acquittal, South Wales Police agreed with our opinion that PC Evans had a case to answer for gross misconduct and proceeded to arrange the misconduct hearing in accordance with the legislation.

A police sergeant was also found to have a case to answer for misconduct over allegations they failed to ensure the boy received medical attention and failed to take the boy’s complaint about PC Evans. Misconduct was found at a misconduct meeting held in January 2019 and the officer was given management advice.