Investigation begins over claims PSNI officer kicked teen in the head

An investigation has begun into the conduct of Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers over a video that appears to show a teenage boy being kicked in the head during an arrest.

The boy, who is 16, was arrested outside Time nightclub in Cookstown, County Tyrone, in the early hours of Sunday morning on suspicion of assault on police.

The video, first reported by the Irish News and shared with BBC News NI, appears to show the boy being held on the ground by one officer while another kicks him once.

The PSNI said it has notified the office of the Police Ombudsman of the incident.

A Police Ombudsman spokesman confirmed it had received a complaint "which we will be investigating", adding that it had been "notified of the matter by the PSNI".

The Ombudsman is appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact it.

It said it was particularly keen to speak to anyone who had recorded footage.

'Reprehensible'

A solicitor representing the boy said the incident should be immediately investigated and that it was "wholly wrong".

It is "reprehensible for anyone to kick someone on the ground while they are detained", Gavin Booth added.

The solicitor, from Phoenix Law, also said the officer involved "should not be on front-line duties while it is being investigated".

He said the boy and his friend had been thrown out of a nightclub and were shouting in the street when police officers approached them.

Mr Booth added that this time of year most parents "will let their children go out thinking that the police are there to keep them safe" and that incidents like this undermines that trust.

BBC News NI understands that no officer has been removed from duty at this time.

The PSNI said a 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of three counts of assault on police after a disturbance in Cookstown in the early hours of Sunday.

"The disturbance occurred after patrol officers stopped to assist an injured man in the James Street area.

"The boy was later released on bail to allow for further enquiries."

'Not acceptable'

Linda Dillon, Mid Ulster assembly member for Sinn Féin, said the footage is "disgraceful and totally unacceptable".

"The PSNI need to review that footage as soon as possible and then they need to take the appropriate action immediately.

"This is not acceptable behaviour - this is a 16-year-old child at the end of the day, regardless of what happened preceding it."

Dillon also expressed her intention to raise the incident at the Policing Board.

Keith Buchanan, Mid Ulster assembly member for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said it was "a matter for the ombudsman to investigate".

"It's important we all wait until that outcome rather than acting as judge, jury and executioner.

"Every week there are thousands of officers keeping our streets safe and they do so in a professional manner in very difficult circumstances."

In a statement posted on social media, three independent republican councillors from the area described the incident as a "disgraceful act of violence against a minor".