UK police officer charged with three assaults over four days

Court case follows watchdog’s probe into claims of excessive force

One of the accusations relates to the arrest of a child (Getty)

A police officer has been charged with assaulting three people inside four days, including during the arrest of a child.

PC Declan Jones, of West Midlands Police, faces three counts of common assault in relation to the incidents in Birmingham in April.

The 29-year-old is due to appear at Coventry Magistrates' Court on 18 November.

The charges have been brought in connection with a series of ongoing investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into allegations of excessive use of force.

The IOPC said PC Jones had been charged with common assault in relation to the detention of a youth at Newtown on April 21; the stop-and-search of a man at Aston on 20 April, and the stop-and-search of another man at Handsworth on 23 April.

The watchdog said in a statement: "We began an independent investigation into the circumstances of the incident at Newtown following a voluntary referral from West Midlands Police on 30 April.

"Our investigations in respect of the incidents at Aston and Handsworth followed complaints referred to us in May.

"We passed files of evidence from our enquiries to the Crown Prosecution Service which has now authorised the charges."

PC Jones is understood to have been suspended from duty.

Sarah Hammond, deputy chief crown prosecutor at 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.

"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."

Additional reporting by Press Association