Police officer denies assaulting 14-year-old girl during arrest

A police officer appeared in court today charged with assaulting a 14-year-old girl by allegedly using a pepper spray on her and putting his hands around her throat when she was arrested.

PC Thomas White, 30, is also accused of striking the ‘particularly vulnerable’ teenager with his knee and throwing her into a chair at a hospital in Basildon, Essex.

Ipswich Magistrates Court was told some of the incidents happened when the alleged victim was handcuffed after being arrested.

The officer, of Wickford, Essex, denies a charge of assault causing her actual bodily harm on March 27 this year.

Melanie Williams, defending, told the court: ‘The defendant will be saying he was acting in self-defence, and in defence of the victim who was self-harming at the time, and the public.’

White, who wore a grey suit and white shirt in the glass-fronted dock, spoke only to confirm his name and address, to enter his plea, and to say that he understood the court proceedings.

Prosecutor Paul Brown said: ‘The case involves Child A who is 14-years-old. She was being arrested by police officer Thomas White.

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‘During that arrest, it is said by the prosecution that PC White assaulted her.’

Mr Brown said the circumstances in which the girl, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was allegedly assaulted were ‘beyond being reasonable’.

‘She was PAVA’d even when handcuffed, and it was at close range. It is also alleged that she was grabbed around the throat, knee struck and struck to the groin and thrown to a chair when she was in hospital,’ he told the court.

‘There was clearly a breach of the rights of a victim who was particularly vulnerable.’

PAVA spray is described as a synthetic pepper spray dispensed in a liquid stream from a hand-held aerosol and designed to incapacitate a person.

Mr Brown said the girl had been subjected to a ‘persistent’ level of strangulation by PC White.

The injuries suffered by the teenager were ‘not the most serious’ but could be considered serious in regard to psychological harm of a child, he added.

District Judge Christopher Williams released the officer on unconditional bail to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on November 18.

He said: ‘I take the view that this matter you have pleaded not guilty to is too serious to be tried in magistrates court and I send the case to the crown court.’

Asked if he understood, PC White replied while standing on the glass-fronted dock: ‘I do, your honour.’

The Independent Office for Police Conduct revealed last week that it had begun an investigation in April this year into suggestions that PC White had used ‘excessive force’ when arresting a child.

The investigation, which followed ‘a conduct referral’ from Essex Police, was concluded in August when a file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The IOPC statement last week said that the CPS had authorised PC White to be charged with assault causing actual bodily harm.