logo
North Wales Police PC seen punching man in video cleared of assault

North Wales Police PC seen punching man in video cleared of assault

BBC News08-05-2025
A North Wales Police officer filmed punching a man repeatedly during an arrest has been cleared of assault.A jury found PC Richard Williams, 43, not guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm and a second charge of intentional strangulation following a seven-day trial in Caernarfon.The officer faced the allegations following an incident in May 2023 when he was called to a report of a domestic incident in Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Mr Williams insisted the force used was necessary, telling the court how the suspect had resisted arrest and had already knocked a female colleague to the ground.
Mr Williams said he did not want to hurt Steven Clark, who was 34 at the time.He told a jury during his defence that the nine punches to Mr Clark's head were "distraction blows" when they were both lying on the ground and he could not reach his taser or baton.He told the court: "I had my hands around him, which naturally led to a headlock, but he continued to resist – he was pulling away from me."I was concerned for my safety and my colleague's safety."The whole incident was captured on a mobile phone by a neighbour overlooking the garden on the Pensyflog estate in Porthmadog. The clip then went viral on social media.It led to an investigation by the police watchdog body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct and a decision to charge the officer.Mr Williams was suspended by the force pending the outcome of the trial.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Four men charged after drugs seized from home and car
Four men charged after drugs seized from home and car

STV News

time4 minutes ago

  • STV News

Four men charged after drugs seized from home and car

Four men have been charged after drugs were discovered at a house and within a car in Aberdeen. Officers acting on intelligence attended a property on Sluie Drive at around 2.30pm on Wednesday. A quantity of cash, diamorphine and crack cocaine were seized. Officers charged a 19-year-old man in connection. Officers also stopped a car on West North Street at around 3.10pm. and quantities of cocaine, cannabis and cash were recovered. Three men, aged 21, 29 and 36, were arrested and charged in connection. All four men were due to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Thursday. Around £6000 worth of drugs was recovered while £6945 in cash was seized in total. Detective Constable Nicholas Bowyer said: 'These arrests underline our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country's Serious Organised Crime Strategy. Taking drugs off the street is a priority for Police Scotland. 'Anybody with any information or concerns about drugs within their community should contact Police via 101 where we can then investigate.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

Refugee charities install safe rooms and relocate amid rise in far-right threats
Refugee charities install safe rooms and relocate amid rise in far-right threats

The Guardian

time29 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Refugee charities install safe rooms and relocate amid rise in far-right threats

Refugee support organisations have been forced to install safe rooms in their premises, relocate to less visible sites and in some cases close their offices in response to the threat of far-right violence. Half of NGOs and charities supporting people seeking refuge have faced threats, a 'hostile environment' of protest and safety concerns since the riots of 2024, according to research documents seen by the Guardian. Some heads of the organisations have also received 'credible death threats', a claim supported by police sources. The organisations that were polled support tens of thousands of asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants. The threats have emerged as Keir Starmer faces a growing clamour from councils to block hotels being used to house asylum seekers through legal action, after a court ruled that more than 100 applicants staying in Essex should be moved. Data released on Thursday showed the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels had risen by 8% to 32,059 in a year. Despite many people coming from countries known for serious human rights abuses and conflict, rates of asylum being granted to people coming from such countries as Afghanistan, Iran and Eritrea, for example, remain low compared with recent years. The safety concerns set out in the report are so grave that an internal Home Office meeting is due to take place imminently to discuss growing concerns about similar problems. The organisations have been forced to take radical steps to protect themselves and their clients in recent months, including temporarily closing their physical offices and moving to an online-only service and removing content from their websites including location information. Coordination with police and other authorities has increased and in some cases officers have installed new CCTV close to refugee organisations so that any attacks or incidents of harassment can be captured on camera. During the course of the research, multiple organisations reported online threats, trolling, hostile emails and intimidating Facebook posts. Some anti-migrant protesters made video recordings of refugee organisation premises and shared them in far-right online groups, with one NGO named on a far-right hitlist having to close temporarily, while some received harassing phone calls and threatening messages. One NGO that took part in the survey said: 'We have had to create a safe room where all of us could be contained in the event of an attack while the police arrived.' 'The hostile environment has to be dismantled,' said another. A third added: 'There is concern that the government is parroting far-right lines instead of adopting their own anti-racist stance. This is extremely disappointing.' The briefing has emerged at a time when the refugee sector is under unprecedented strain. Those working in the field say they have never known things to be so bad and many are now refusing to be quoted publicly for fear of attracting more attacks. The Charity Commission has taken the step of removing the names of trustees from several charities' websites after the names of trustees for some organisations the Home Office has meetings with about asylum accommodation were released to a far-right influencer by the Home Office after a freedom of information request. While a spokesperson said it was not possible to comment on individual cases, removing trustee names is highly unusual. According to Charity Commission guidance, it happens only if the commission grants a dispensation: 'We can grant a dispensation if displaying an individual's name could put the relevant person or people in personal physical or mental danger. Dispensations will not be granted automatically.' One example of the recent hostility targeted at organisations is provided by City of Sanctuary UK, which was falsely accused of grooming schoolchildren for the benefit of adult male asylum seekers. Schools supportive of the organisation carried out an annual arts activity where children make cards to send to refugees around Valentine's Day with the message: 'showing your heart for refugees'. The event was part of a broader refugees welcome campaign that is symbolised by orange hearts. The children did not sign their names on their cards and the anonymous messages were then passed on to refugees the children will never meet as a generic message of welcome. The former Conservative education secretary Gavin Williamson has made a complaint to the Charity Commission about the activity, claiming that it is politicised. Far-right activists have accused City of Sanctuary of grooming children for the benefit of adult male asylum seekers. A spokesperson for City of Sanctuary UK said: 'Our work has been deliberately misrepresented by a dangerous campaign built on false and inflammatory claims. These attacks not only put our staff and the school communities we support at risk, but are part of a wider strategy: to sow division and fuel hostility towards people seeking sanctuary. This is not just an attack on us – it is an attack on the values of compassion, safety and solidarity.' A Charity Commission spokesperson said: 'Concerns have been raised with us about alleged political activity linked to City of Sanctuary. We are currently assessing the information available to determine if there is a regulatory role for us.' On Thursday, a series of St George's crosses were painted on pedestrian crossings near a Canary Wharf hotel, where asylum seekers are planned to be housed. The latest Home Office figures, published on Thursday as part of the usual quarterly immigration statistics, cover Labour's first year in office. There were 32,059 asylum seekers in UK hotels by the end of June, up from 29,585 at the same point a year earlier, when the Conservatives were still in power, but down slightly on the 32,345 figure at the end of March. For the first time in four years, the asylum applications backlog has fallen below 100,000 people. It is now just above 70,000 cases, relating to almost 91,000 people – down by 18% from a year earlier and its lowest since September 2021. Epping Forest district council in Essex, which was granted an interim injunction blocking the use of the Bell hotel as asylum accommodation, went from housing 28 asylum seekers in hotels in its area in March this year, to 199 by the end of June. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We strongly condemn any form of harassment or intimidation. Anyone who engages in such behaviour can expect to face the full force of the law.'

Woke Canadian police charge homeowner with aggravated assault for attacking burglar who broke into his home at 3am
Woke Canadian police charge homeowner with aggravated assault for attacking burglar who broke into his home at 3am

Daily Mail​

time37 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Woke Canadian police charge homeowner with aggravated assault for attacking burglar who broke into his home at 3am

A Canadian homeowner is facing assault charges for attacking an armed burglar he found breaking into his apartment in the middle of the night. An unidentified 44-year-old resident of Lindsay, Ontario, awoke to find a 41-year-old man inside in his home on Kent Street Monday. He confronted and fought the intruder, who suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to hospital in Toronto. The Kawartha Lakes Police Service was called about 3:20am and responded to the scene, arresting the homeowner after an investigation. The owner was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. The unidentified intruder was charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, breaking and entering, mischief under $5,000, and violating his probation. The suspected burglar, who was already wanted by police on unrelated charges, will be taken into custody when he is well enough to leave hospital. The charges against the homeowner sparked widespread outrage, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford calling the system 'broken.' 'This criminal that's wanted by the police breaks into this guy's house, this guy gives him a beating, and this guy gets charged. Something is broken,' he said at a press conference on Wednesday. 'I know if someone breaks into my house or someone else's, you're gonna fight for your life. You're going to use whatever force you can to protect your family. I know everyone would.' Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson issued a statement defending the decision amid the backlash. '[T]he negative commentary about the officers and their actions is unjust and inaccurate,' he said. Robertson explained that the law allowed people to use reasonable force to protect themselves and their property if they believed they were facing a threat. 'Under Canadian law, individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property,' he said. 'However, it is important to understand that these rights are not unlimited in Canada. The law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced. 'This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances.' Robertson said investigators were able to examine all the information and evidence that was available before pursuing any charges, but police were not revealing most of it to protect the investigation.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store