How One Man Beat Assault and Drug Possession Charges Against a Police Officer

Our client, Mr G, was arrested outside a bar by two police officers, one of whom claimed to have been assaulted by him. The officer alleged that Mr G had pushed him, before jabbing him in the chest with his finger. He was taken to the station, and after a small amount of cannabis fell out of his hoodie sleeve, he was arrested again and charged with both assaulting a police officer and drug possession (class B ) substance.

We took on the case, and our defence solicitors immediately dug into every detail to find out the facts. Mr G completely denied the charges, explaining that he had not laid a hand on anyone. Following our instructions, he pleaded not guilty on both counts. He admitted to pointing at the complaining officer’s body-worn camera, but insisted that there was never any physical contact.

As for the cannabis, he explained that police found nothing on his person during a strip search, but when his hoodie was handed back to him, a small amount fell onto the floor. Our criminal defence solicitors commenced a lengthy legal investigation, demanding full disclosure of evidence from the police. We paid particularly focused attention to conducting an analysis of the body-worn footage and the two officers’ statements. Our defence lawyers carried out a meticulous comparison between the official accounts and the video evidence at hand, discovering several inconsistencies that would later help us unravel the prosecution’s case.

The complaining officer’s written statement insisted that he had been pushed by Mr G and jabbed in his chest, but thanks to the body camera footage, our team discovered that the officer, in the immediate fallout of the alleged altercation, dismissed it as “just a push.” We found the lack of acknowledgment towards the alleged ‘poke’ interesting, especially when considering that his claims of such only appeared in his accounts after he had an opportunity to review the footage. At trial, the officer who had witnessed both the initial incident and the aftermath of the strip search reaffirmed his position that Mr G had pushed and poked the complainant.

However, while under cross-examination, he admitted that too much was going on at the time for him to say with confidence that our client had committed an assault offence. He then acknowledged that, despite witnessing the cannabis fall out of the hoodie sleeve, he could not say with certainty that there was cannabis on Mr G’s person prior to the formal search, which revealed nothing—making the charge of drug possession highly questionable.

In closing, the prosecution attempted to downplay the specifics of what they alleged Mr G had done to the police officer. We pushed back, reminding the bench that the court must be sure that unlawful force was used—but in this case, they simply could not be. After just two minutes of deliberation, the magistrates returned not guilty verdicts on both the assaulting a police officer and drug possession charges, and Mr G was free to go. Being accused of assault is a daunting experience, but as Mr G’s case shows, a clear legal strategy, with thorough scrutiny of the evidence, can make all the difference.

If you’re facing similar charges, don’t deal with them alone. Get in touch with one of our expert criminal defence solicitors today. Our defence lawyers are ready to review your case, fight any assault offence allegations, and protect your rights.