West Midlands Police officer Pc Sunil Narr 'did not see red'

PC Sunil Narr denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm

A police officer told a court he was not "seeing red" when he struck a man over the head with a baton after a high-speed pursuit.

PC Sunil Narr, of West Midlands Police, denies assault occasioning bodily harm over the blow to Joshua Ward.

At Birmingham Crown Court, he said a strike to the head was unwarranted and he had been aiming for Mr Ward's shoulder during the Coventry incident.

PC Narr, 32, said he feared being run over by Mr Ward when he acted.

Speaking for the first time during his trial, Mr Narr, from Oldbury, West Midlands, said Mr Ward was "sitting in what is essentially a two-tonne weapon".

"He could easily have put his foot down and run me over," he said.

'Get him out'

Mr Ward was pulled over on Lower Ford Street in the Hillfields area on 1 August 2017 after driving through the city at speeds of more than 90mph (145km/h).

PC Narr told jurors he saw Mr Ward tussling with a colleague at the driver's window "which informed my decision to strike the windscreen".

"My train of thought was 'we need to get him out of there [the car] for my safety and the safety of everyone around me'," he said.

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The PC does not deny striking Mr Ward with his baton but told the court: "I absolutely did not aim for his head."

He said Mr Ward - who had to be taken to hospital by ambulance - "appeared to relax" after he hit him.

The trial continues.

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