Hertfordshire police officer not guilty of assaulting suspect

PC Stephen Dalton was found not guilty of causing actual bodily harm to Richard Smith

A police officer accused of causing actual bodily harm to a suspect has been found not guilty.

It was alleged PC Stephen Dalton, 53, had "slammed" Richard Smith into the rear of a Hertfordshire Police estate car in Watford.

Mr Smith was treated in hospital for a deep laceration to the lip following the incident in 2019.

PC Dalton, who was cleared at St Albans Crown Court, said the injuries had been caused by accident.

The court heard Mr Smith had been arrested on suspicion of going equipped for theft near flats in Wilmington Close, Watford on 4 October 2019.

Prosecutor David Dainty said Mr Dalton had lost his temper and marched Mr Smith forward before slamming his face into the back of the car.

The officer said the injuries were caused by accident and he was was simply trying to get Mr Smith into the car.

Richard Smith required hospital treatment following the incident

Giving evidence, Mr Dalton said he had arrived at the scene to see Mr Smith standing with two other officers.

He said he overheard him saying he was going to kill himself.

'Erratic behaviour'

The court heard one of his colleagues had found a hacksaw blade and pliers in the area and arrested Mr Smith.

Mr Dalton told the court Mr Smith had been "going through cycles of getting more and more tense, then calm, then more tense.

"His behaviour was highly erratic."

He said he decided to put Mr Smith in the back of a police vehicle, but as he tried to walk him to it, the suspect had tensed up.

He told the court: "I felt I was losing my grip. I made a decision to pin him. The nearest structure was the rear tailgate of the estate police car.

"As he was moving forward I was not fully balanced. I felt we went forward a lot quicker than I anticipated because of the impetus of Mr Smith.

"I was trying to hold him. Mr Smith felt like he bowed and moved forward. He collided with the back of the car and his head."

He said he had called for an ambulance, checked Mr Smith's wounds and applied bandages.

Mr Smith was treated in hospital for a deep laceration to the lip which extended into the surrounding tissue and a C-shaped laceration to the cheeks.

The jury heard no further action was taken against Mr Smith's alleged offences.