Pc 'hit handcuffed drunk man in the face' while answering 999 call in Wolverhampton
A police officer's use of force went beyond reasonable when he hit a drunk man in the face with his forearm after handcuffing him, a court was told.
Jack Green, 28, a constable with West Midlands Police, denies a charge of assault by beating, allegedly committed after he and a colleague answered a 999 call in Wolverhampton.
Prosecutor Alex Warren said video from a police body-worn camera - and footage filmed by a witness - showed the incident.
He told Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Friday the alleged victim, a man in his 30s, was intoxicated at the home of his partner and her teenage daughter when he became physically aggressive.
Mr Warren said: "As a result, the police were called. The defendant and his colleague were the two officers tasked with responding initially.
"They were informed whilst en route to the address that the caller had reported that her partner was very drunk... he was smashing up the house and had been looking for knives."
Claiming the assault took place at about 7.30pm on February 16 2021 while the victim was on the floor in the doorway of the property, Mr Warren said a "severe blow" was not justified in the circumstances.
Mr Warren told the court Green brought his right forearm down hard into the face of the man while he was on his back.
"The prosecution say that went beyond the use of reasonable force to effect arrest or defend himself," Mr Warren said.
During the Crown's opening speech, the court was shown a 16-minute video of the incident, which ended with the alleged victim being arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage.
The complainant was not prosecuted for any offence, the court was told, while Green was charged after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
In an interview, Green said he was concerned he would be attacked after the handcuffs failed to work properly, the court was told.
The officer said he had therefore used his arm to push the man's head down.
Mr Warren told the court: "He (Green) had considered at the time that this was reasonable use of force in the circumstances and he continued to believe that."
In his account to the IOPC, Green also said the fact the incident took place in the doorway made it difficult for his colleague to assist, while "retreating" would have put the man's partner and daughter at risk.
The trial continues.
