Complaints against officers

[Fedster + 1,307]

Watchdog says there is a case to answer for the officer.

File photo of South Wales Police Officers

A police hate crime officer cleared by a court of repeatedly punching a 14-year-old boy in the face is still threatened with a gross misconduct hearing.

PC Paul Evans was acquitted of assault by beating at Cardiff magistrates’ court after being told by a judge that while he may have acted as alleged, the evidence was insufficient to convict him. He denied the charge.

The case against the 50-year-old South Wales Police officer went to trial after being referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The IOPC investigation – which ended in June – considered the use of force by PC Evans during an incident at a Bridgend property at the beginning of the year.

After the verdict, Wales IOPC director Catrin Evans said: “We have found that PC Evans has a case to answer for gross misconduct.

“Disciplinary proceedings are currently under consideration between the force and the IOPC.”

The force confirmed to Police Oracle that PC Evans has not been on restricted duties since being charged.

View On Police Oracle

[bensonby + 3,503]

Standard. There is a different standard of proof and different rules of evidence, not to mention the “case to answer test” as per the High Court decision of The Chief Exec of the IPCC v The IPCC (yes, that is a real case!).

[SimonT + 1,185]

" told by a judge that while he may have acted as alleged, the evidence was insufficient to convict him"

Am I missing something? Isn't that all cases? 

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

" told by a judge that while he may have acted as alleged, the evidence was insufficient to convict him"
Am I missing something? Isn't that all cases? 

No. In some cases the defendant may have acted as alleged and there was sufficient evidence to convict them. In others the defendant didn’t act as alleged and there was insufficient evidence to convict them.
The surprising thing for me in this case is that the incident happened at the beginning of this year and has already got to court. Is this a change for the IOPC? Or will the gross misconduct hearing still take another five years before it’s concluded?

[Sceptre + 2,701]

Or in this case it might not be in question that the defendant acted as alleged but it couldn't be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the force used was not reasonable in the circumstances as he believed them to be. 

Edited October 27, 2018 by Sceptre