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04/02/2020
Police Cleared Of Assaulting Woman
A woman's allegation that she was dragged from her car and assaulted by police officers has been thrown out by the Ombudsman.
The police watchdog launched an investigation following an incident in Magherafelt in January last year, however no evidence was found to support the allegations.
Footage of the incident from body-worn police cameras, assessed by an ombudsman investigator, found that the officers only intervened after the woman threatened to blow herself up with a petrol can.
Police approached the woman after identifying her car as one that had been reported stolen.
The complainant alleged that the officers had refused to explain why they wanted her car keys before an officer forced open her driver's side window, pushed her head against the steering wheel and removed the keys from the ignition.
She claimed she was then dragged from the vehicle by her legs and head, thrown to the ground causing her knees to bleed, and elbowed in the face by an officer when she got back up.
The woman also accused the officers of using foul language and smirking at her while refusing to explain why they were taking the vehicle.
Upon review of the Body Worn Video footage, it was found that police had explained the situation to the woman from the offset.
The woman was seen handing her car keys to police "without issue" when asked, and was not dragged from the vehicle as alleged.
However, the footage also showed that the woman's demeanour quickly changed, as she became verbally abusive and threatened to blow herself up before climbing into the back of the car.
An officer then opened the rear door to discover the woman with a petrol can in her hand. He grabbed her wrist and forced her to let go of it.
The Police Ombudsman investigator found that the officer's use of force had been justified in the circumstances.
There was no evidence that the woman had sustained any injuries to her face or knees, nor that any officer had used foul language or smirked at her.
The Police Ombudsman did not uphold the complaint.
(JG/CM)
The police watchdog launched an investigation following an incident in Magherafelt in January last year, however no evidence was found to support the allegations.
Footage of the incident from body-worn police cameras, assessed by an ombudsman investigator, found that the officers only intervened after the woman threatened to blow herself up with a petrol can.
Police approached the woman after identifying her car as one that had been reported stolen.
The complainant alleged that the officers had refused to explain why they wanted her car keys before an officer forced open her driver's side window, pushed her head against the steering wheel and removed the keys from the ignition.
She claimed she was then dragged from the vehicle by her legs and head, thrown to the ground causing her knees to bleed, and elbowed in the face by an officer when she got back up.
The woman also accused the officers of using foul language and smirking at her while refusing to explain why they were taking the vehicle.
Upon review of the Body Worn Video footage, it was found that police had explained the situation to the woman from the offset.
The woman was seen handing her car keys to police "without issue" when asked, and was not dragged from the vehicle as alleged.
However, the footage also showed that the woman's demeanour quickly changed, as she became verbally abusive and threatened to blow herself up before climbing into the back of the car.
An officer then opened the rear door to discover the woman with a petrol can in her hand. He grabbed her wrist and forced her to let go of it.
The Police Ombudsman investigator found that the officer's use of force had been justified in the circumstances.
There was no evidence that the woman had sustained any injuries to her face or knees, nor that any officer had used foul language or smirked at her.
The Police Ombudsman did not uphold the complaint.
(JG/CM)
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