Police Officer 'Justified' In Punching Man Over Incident In Portrush

A police officer was justified in punching a man who had subjected a woman to a beating with what appeared to be a metal bar, the Police Ombudsman has concluded.

The incident in Portrush on 26th June 2011 was captured on CCTV.

It showed "a vicious attack" during which the man hit the woman a number of times with the bar. Another female also appeared to join in the assault.

The footage shows a police car containing two officers stopping in the middle of the road close to the assault. An officer (gets out of the car and approaches the man, who drops the bar and is then punched three times to the head by the officer before being arrested.

During their investigation, Police Ombudsman investigators viewed the CCTV footage and obtained all relevant police documentation.

They also interviewed the officer, who said his immediate aim was to stop the assault on the female. He said the man punched him in the face and he reacted by punching him twice to the head.

The Police Ombudsman, Dr Michael Maguire, noted that the CCTV footage was inconclusive as to whether man did strike out first, as claimed by the officer.

However, he said the footage did clearly show that the man was involved in previous fighting and had committed a serious assault on a female.

(CD)