Halifax 'choke' video arrest officer will not face prosecution

The officer "will still have to attend a gross misconduct hearing", according to West Yorkshire Police

A police officer filmed arresting a man and apparently telling him to "chill out or I'll choke you out" will not face criminal prosecution.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation into the actions of the West Yorkshire officer in August 2020.

The Crown Prosecution Service said there was "insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction".

West Yorkshire Police said the officer would face a gross misconduct hearing.

The footage, filmed in Halifax in 2020, was widely circulated on social media as police officers arrested 27-year-old Hassan Ahmed.

In the video, a voice is heard saying, "chill out or I'll choke you out, chill out or you're going to sleep".

Mr Ahmed told the BBC that after his arrest he thought he was going to die.

"I was afraid for my life, I thought, 'that's it, he's going to end up killing me'.

"I honestly thought it was my final moments. I was in shock, I was really scared."

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An IOPC spokesman said: "We gathered CCTV and body-worn video evidence. We obtained statements from witnesses and accounts from the officers involved in the restraint.

"At the conclusion of our investigation, and based on the evidence we found, we referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who decided not to charge the officer."

A spokeswoman for the CPS said: "After a careful examination of all the evidence submitted to us, the CPS concluded there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence."

West Yorkshire Police has refused to identify the officer involved.

"The officer will, however, still have to attend a gross misconduct hearing at some point in the future", a force spokesman said.

Mr Ahmed was contacted by the BBC in relation to this latest development but he did not want to respond at this time.

Following the incident in Halifax, Mr Ahmed was charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. He was also charged with obstructing or resisting a constable in execution of their duty.

All those charges were subsequently dropped by the prosecution.