A former police officer has been given a community order for assaulting a woman during a domestic disturbance call-out in Halesowen.
PC Calum Brand pulled the woman’s hair and elbowed her in the face during a scuffle in a stairwell of flats after she tried to interrupt officers who’d arrested her partner.
Former West Midlands Police Officer PC Brand had denied one count of assault by beating but was found guilty at Nottingham Magistrates Court on July 15.
He was sentenced at the same court on September 7 where he was handed a community order, including 150 hours of unpaid work.
The 27-year-old was one of four officers who attended the domestic incident at the flats in Halesowen on June 16 last year.
Checks on a man at the address revealed he was wanted on warrant for failing to attend court.
The man, who was drunk, was restrained and escorted out of the flat into a communal stairwell.
Police body worn video shows the woman approach PC Brand from behind before he grabbed her hair, pinned her down by the neck, and elbowed her to the side of the head.
She suffered facial injuries but was not seriously hurt.
In interview, PC Brand said the woman hit his back and, fearing she may have a weapon, used what he believed was appropriate, proportionate force.
He arrested her on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, but she was later released without charge.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an independent investigation following a mandatory conduct referral from West Midlands Police.
IOPC Director of Engagement Derrick Campbell, said: “This was a challenging situation for the officers.
"The man was clearly drunk, largely incoherent, and there was a struggle in the stairwell.
“The woman tried to intervene, and PC Brand’s response was disproportionate and unnecessary.
"There was no justification for the level of force he used and no attempt to de-escalate the situation.
"The woman did not pose a genuine threat to PC Brand and, to that point, had not shown any aggression towards the officers.
“The woman suffered facial injuries at the hands of an officer who should have been there to help protect and safeguard her.”
On September 2 a misconduct hearing held by West Midlands Police found gross misconduct proven on the basis that PC Brand had breached the police professional standard of discreditable conduct through his conviction for a criminal offence.
He would have been dismissed without notice had he not already resigned from the force and was also placed on the barred list which prevents him from working in policing in the future.
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