PC who punched man in Bristol bar defending girlfriend, hearing told

PC Jedd Perry was on a night out in Bristol with other police officers

A police officer punched a man twice as he thought his girlfriend was being "sexually assaulted" on the dancefloor of a bar, a hearing was told.

PC Jedd Perry told a misconduct hearing he used reasonable force to stop the advances as the man laid his hand on the female police officer's lower back.

PC Perry was off duty and on a night out in the Green House, Bristol, in August 2021 when the incident occurred.

He admits two counts of misconduct, but denies they amount to gross misconduct.

PC Perry is also accused of making a discriminatory comment to another officer on a separate occasion, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 

'Unwanted contact'

Speaking about the Green House incident, he admitted that in hindsight there were better options, but he told the hearing on Thursday he needed to do something urgently to "stop the situation escalating".

PC Perry, who is suspended from duty, said: "I believed the man was assaulting Jen so I walked over and struck him twice.

"He had his hand on her lower back, just above her bum, and I knew it was unwanted contact.

"I believed he was a threat to Jen, I had an honest belief he was sexually assaulting her."

The misconduct hearing is being held at Avon And Somerset Police headquarters in Portishead

Representing Avon and Somerset Police, barrister George Thomas said CCTV footage showed PC Perry having to be pulled back by his workmates while "bouncing on his toes like a boxer" to try to get to the man again, a claim the officer denied.

Mr Thomas told him: "The punches you threw inside the bar were nothing more than unprovoked drunken violence."

The officer said: "No, I disagree. I still stand by what I did, I still believe I had a lawful reason to go over and prevent that."

They were then ejected from the bar, but the fight continued outside where a female officer who tried to intervene took a blow to the head.

PC Perry, who is accused of leaving the scene and failing to return to speak to attending officers, said he was sat on a wall nearby and was happy to talk to on-duty officers but they did not go over to him.

He denied he was trying to keep a low profile because he could get into trouble or be arrested.

'I wish I had not said it'

PC Perry, who was then 21 and had been with the force for less than 18 months, also accepted making a discriminatory comment 12 days earlier to a female colleague of Romanian heritage.

But he said that he had meant no harm and that it was an ill-judged joke intended to calm an earlier argument over a bottle of gin.

He denied an allegation of using the phrase "Why don't you go back to your own country" or similar racist words.

When his colleague said she was going home, he said he told her "It's a long Uber back to Romania" but insisted he was referring to the distance rather than an offensive slur.

PC Perry told the hearing: "Even as a joke, something like that should not be said and I wish I had not said it."

The officer is alleged to have breached the standards of professional behaviour for police officers.

The hearing continues.