Nottinghamshire PC who pulled man by dreadlocks cleared of gross misconduct

Matthew Thompson was found guilty of assault by beating at Leicester Magistrates' Court but overturned it on appeal

A police officer who grabbed a man's dreadlocks and pulled him from a car has been cleared of gross misconduct.

Matthew Thompson, of Nottinghamshire Police, was responding to a domestic violence report in July 2018.

The 41-year-old successfully appealed against an assault conviction at Leicester Crown Court on 16 September.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), which supported PC Matthews during the case, welcomed the decision.

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PC Thompson, from Derby, and a female colleague had been responding to a 999 call from the partner of David Thomas, and after the suspect was arrested and placed in the back of a police car he was seen using his mobile phone, leading to a struggle.

Mr Thomas banged his head falling to the ground and complained about his treatment, leading to an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The case was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service and at Leicester Magistrates' Court PC Thompson was subsequently found guilty of assault, before he won his appeal.

A police disciplinary panel, organised by Nottinghamshire Police, found PC Thompson's behaviour "was not unjustified or excessive".

'Job he loves'

PFEW representative Phill Matthews said the federation "had concerns from the very start about the way this complaint was investigated", and will contact the IOPC to discuss "procedural irregularities and delay".

"The magistrates' verdict was contrary to the evidence that was presented at court, hence why we successfully appealed to the higher court and were vindicated in that decision," he said.

"[PC Thompson] is glad that he can now finally put the last two years behind him and get back to the job he loves."

Derrick Campbell, IOPC regional director, denied the investigation had been delayed, adding once the conviction was overturned it asked Nottinghamshire Police to conduct a misconduct hearing as it "believed it was important for public confidence".

"In our opinion a properly directed tribunal may have found that PC Thompson had breached professional standards, and ultimately that was a decision for the independently-chaired panel.," he said.

"The panel has now determined the use of force was proportionate in the circumstances."