South Wales Police officer cleared of using unnecessary force on teen

A misconduct hearing concluded PC Paul Evans did not breach standards of professional behaviour

A South Wales Police officer has been cleared of using unnecessary force on a 14-year-old boy.

PC Paul Evans faced a misconduct hearing after an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation.

He was accused of grabbing the boy's throat and hitting his head on a toilet in Bridgend in 2018.

PC Evans said the boy had "fabricated" the incident, and the panel concluded the officer had not breached standards of professional behaviour.

Andy Valentine, Assistant Chief Constable of South Wales Police, said: "The officer has been subject to intense scrutiny over the two years since this allegation was made and our focus now will be to offer him the support he needs to return to serving the communities of South Wales."

IOPC Wales director Catrin Evans said: "While we found a case to answer following our investigation, it is not for us to determine the outcome and this has been decided by a panel today."

At Cardiff Magistrates' Court in October 2018 PC Evans was found not guilty of common assault over the incident.

A police sergeant was found to have committed misconduct over allegations they failed to ensure the boy received medical attention and failed to take the boy's complaint about PC Evans.

That officer was given management advice after the hearing in January 2019.