West Midlands Police officer charged with three assaults
A West Midlands Police officer has been charged with three assaults which allegedly took place during separate incidents over a four-day period.
Pc Declan Jones, aged 29, has been charged with common assaults in relation to the detention of a youth at Newtown, Birmingham, on April 21 and the stop and searches of two men in Aston and Handsworth on April 20 and 23.
The charges follow a series of ongoing investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into allegations of excessive use of force by police officers in the city earlier this year.
The police watchdog launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident at Newtown following a voluntary referral from West Midlands Police on April 30.
It said the investigations into incidents at Aston and Handsworth followed complaints referred to it in May.
Pc Jones, who is based in Birmingham, will make his first appearance before Coventry Magistrates Court on November 18t. The IOPC said it understood he is currently suspended from duties.
Sarah Hammond, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS West Midlands, said: “The CPS has authorised the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to charge Declan Jones, a West Midlands Police Officer, with three counts of common assault against three complainants.
“The allegations relate to incidents which took place between 20 and 23 April 2020.
"This decision was made following careful consideration of the evidence presented to us by the IOPC.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against PC Jones are now active and that he has a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
