Officer flees after attack on man

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6995417.stm

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An ex-police officer has fled Northern Ireland to avoid prosecution for an assault on a man he had arrested.

Police responded to a fight outside the Strand Bar in Derry in February 2005. The perpetrator was quickly caught.

However, CCTV footage showed the officer then attacking the man. The incident was reported to the Police Ombudsman by a PSNI sergeant.

A report by the ombudsman said the attack was without provocation and "totally without justification".

The CCTV footage showed the police officer slamming his knees into the man's chest as he lay on the ground.

The officer then pulled him by the ear and handcuffed his hands behind his back.

The former officer at the centre of the investigation will be arrested and charged if he comes back to Northern Ireland Vincent KearneyBBC correspondent

Moments later, the officer struck the man on the nose.

A number of other police officers on duty at the time and civilian witnesses said the man had not been offering any resistance when he was hit.

The Public Prosecution Service said the officer, who was based at Strand Road police station in Derry, should be charged with assault.

However, that was not possible because the officer, who was originally from the Republic of Ireland, left the police and fled back across the border.

The Police Ombudsman praised the sergeant who reported the incident - and other officers who gave evidence during the investigation.

BBC Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney said: "The former officer at the centre of the investigation will be arrested and charged if he comes back to Northern Ireland."