Topic: Wiltshire policeman cleared of assault on appeal

[Rosebud]

A Wiltshire policeman convicted of assaulting a woman in custody has been cleared on appeal.

Sgt Mark Andrews, of Wiltshire Police, was filmed dragging Pamela Somerville through Melksham police station in July 2008.

The officer was found guilty of causing her actual bodily harm and jailed for six months in September.

Sgt Andrews spent six days in prison, but was released on bail pending the appeal at Oxford Crown Court.  How in the hell can he be given six months in the first case??? then be cleared our courts are beyond me..

[MissyD]

That is a disgrace!

What sort of message does that send out?

[justice]

The message we've known for years.......... one rule for them.........

[Derek Forbes]

I dont want to seem to be harsh dont get me wrong he looked a bit heavy handed on the ctv but he must of had reasons to have her in a bear hug the ctv doesn't show the way she was behaving all we know she could of been kicking and screaming like a monkey on a cup cake.

[justice]

Then get help and restrain her correctly.........................

[wanderlust]

Absolute disgrace, but we all knew it was going to happen didn't we?

[charlie finbow]

Not often i have to agree with justice, but i do on this.   If that lady was uncooperative why didn't he get a female officer to help and frog march her to her cell and sit her down under controll.   Bad practise springs to mind.   I have always been a staunch supporter of our old bill but i have to say its waning after this, I accept i am not in receipt of all the evidence but the original judge was, he made a decision based on this.   Its not inconceivable for the public perception to be "bloody cover up".   I guess he will now go for compensation for his 6 days in nick.   What a strange world we now live in. ...................................................       Sadly.

[Mike Hawkins]

It will now be interesting to see the result of the internal enquiry.

My guess, he will be found "Guilty" of unprofessional conduct and dismissed the force.

[justice]

Not often i have to agree with justice, but i do on this

I've done a screen shot, printed it off and it's getting framed Charlie 

[Debs]

Absolute disgrace, but we all knew it was going to happen didn't we?

      yes we did....  he will probably now get compensation too for having to spend a few days in prison and having his reputation tarnished

[justice]

Yep!

[baldy]

As I said before, the woman deserved all she got as a result of her own behaviour.
 
She was obviously difficult and awkward from the start. First of all refusing a blood test and then being lippy all the way.
 
The policeman was set up from the start by this manipulative woman who played the media.
 
I am glad he was cleared. He was simply doing his job with a silly bitch woman making things difficult.
 
I hope he now gets a fair internal disciplinary hearing. Good job it will be run by senior officers from an Independent force.

[justice]

You were there then?

Then get help and restrain her correctly.........................

Like I said before that would have been the correct way to deal with it, and what we expect from a civilised Police Force in a civilised society. 

[baldy]

It will now be interesting to see the result of the internal enquiry.

My guess, he will be found "Guilty" of unprofessional conduct and dismissed the force.

As far as I am aware, the only evidence that showed he may have done anything wrong was the CCTV clip when the woman was being manhandled back into the cell after she ran out causing mayhem. She knew she was there because she had refused a blood test.
 
The CCTV clip showed her falling to the floor and everyone assumed that the policeman had pushed her down. I was never sure about that as his arm followed her rather than looked like it was actually pushing down.
 
We now know that the woman had been holding onto the door-frame to resist being put back in the cell after dropping to the floor so that she had to be dragged (which was all her own fault). When she let go of the door frame, she sprang down to the floor and this is what we saw.
 
As far as I am concerned the woman is a clear case of silly bitch gone stroppy and now spinning to the media out of control.
 
The original argument at home was probably about her own drinking and then she ran out to drive off in the car. I bet she was way too drunk to drive and pulled over after half a mile and promptly fell asleep.
 
Very silly silly woman.

[justice]

She had been detained for failing to provide a sample for a breath test after being found asleep in her car, but denied any wrongdoing.

The charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence

Why were they dropped, if it was nailed on that she had been drinking?

She ended up with a gash on her eye, that isn't acceptable in Police Custody, obviously the officer who reported him wasn't happy with how it was dealt with. He was found guilty by a jury made up of unbiased members of the public who heard ALL of the evidence and no doubt watched ALL of the video.

I hope you're never on a jury Russell, and I also hope if you're ever tried for anything there is no one with your kind of opinions on the jury................mmmm actually that wouldn't be such a bad idea.