[jambutty]

As I understand it a police constable can use reasonable force to restrain or apprehend a prisoner. A punch to the nose is not reasonable force even under provocation but if the report of “As soon as they got to the cell father-of-one Gaffney hit him and lied that the boy fell over” is correct then that makes it premeditated and not provocation.

It is understandable that a cop might ‘lose it’ under provoking circumstances but he is a professional and should be able to rise above it and keep his cool. If he cannot then he has no business being in the police force.

Lying to cover up the incident is totally out of order.

Do we want coppers who take the law into their own hands and beat up prisoners?

In my view it was absolutely correct to prosecute PC Daniel Gaffney for physically assaulting a prisoner and causing actual bodily harm but deputy judge Timothy Gascoigne was wrong to hand down a custodial sentence. A heavy fine and a compensation order would have been sufficient seeing as PC Daniel Gaffney is most likely, and quite rightly, to be booted out of the police force.

We have enough thugs on the street without having them in a cop shop as well.