Two police officers released by a jury in 2019 for using a police dog as a weapon against criminals were acquitted again after a disciplinary hearing acquitted them of a gross violation. The decision puts an end to six years of unsuccessful criminal and disciplinary action against personal computers.
Greater Manchester Police Paul Jackson, 39, is said to have sent a German shepherd dog, Jerry, to seriously injure five men, all of whom abandoned cars chased by officers. During the trial in the Royal Court in Preston, it is alleged that PC Jackson attacked Jerry in a series of incidents between August 2015 and September 2016.
The former rescuer from Radcliffe said he had acted lawfully all along, insisting he was performing his duties in a reasonable and proportionate manner. The officer was acquitted of five counts of intentional injury and five alternative counts of grievous bodily harm in June 2019. If convicted, he faces a lengthy prison sentence.
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His colleague Paul Lockett, 40, of Altrincham, was found not guilty of aiding and abetting one of Jackson’s alleged PC attacks and an accusation of misconduct in public service.
Both officers were investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Service (IOPC), which led to the promulgation of the Royal Public Prosecutor’s Office, which acquitted the officers following a trial at the Crown Crown Court.
Following the trial, senior Greater Manchester police officers changed their minds and informed the IOPC in April 2020 that the two officers and two others should not be charged with gross charges of misconduct.
Jerry Police Dog (Image: PA)
But the police supervisory body directed forces to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Jackson and Lockett’s personal computers. If the case against them was proven, they would face dismissal, but after a month-long hearing yesterday (Friday), the three-judge panel, including a police officer, found the allegations “unproven”.
Following the finding, IOPC Chief Operating Officer Amanda Rowe said: “It was a complex case involving some very serious allegations and some of the men involved suffered significant injuries from a dog bite. As such, it was important that the issues be independent and thoroughly investigated.
“Our work ensures that the actions of these officials are verified during public hearings, which ensures transparency, which is vital for public confidence in the police and the complaints system. We are grateful to the committee for considering the issues before them. “
Killer says dog bit him “to the bone”
In total, the IOPC conducted seven investigations into complaints related to eight incidents involving PC Paul Jackson. Complaints made by GMP between May 2015 and December 2016 concerned the use of force against suspected men. Some of the men received serious injuries from a dog bite. One of the applicants alleged that PC Lockett had failed to call his colleague during one of the incidents or to report it afterwards. No charges have been filed against two other officials.
Among the suspects who testified during the trial in 2019, a murderer was convicted who told jurors that the dog had bitten him “to the bone” in the arm. Lee Jr. Walker, then 34, was detained by Paul Jackson’s computer near the Roundthorn tram stop in Wythenshawe at 11pm on August 13, 2015.
Mr Walker is said to have escaped from police investigating the theft of an Audi TT. Three years later, he was sentenced to life in prison for a separate incident in which he killed a man, the court said.
The Preston Crown Court jury was told how PC Jackson released Jerry, who hugged Mr. Walker in the corner of the parking lot and bit his leg, ankle and arm. It is alleged that the dog was encouraged to continue biting the same wounds by a police officer who was said to be “gnashing his teeth” and “out of control”.
PC Paul Jackson and his dog Jerry (Image: Distribution)
Jurors heard evidence from Mr. Walker, who was sentenced to life in prison in January 2018 for fatally stabbing the father of a child, Sean Murphy. He told the jury: “I got to the point where I could feel his teeth in my hand touching my bone.”
PC Jackson, a police dog handler who worked in the interception department for stolen vehicles, then “hit him right in the face”, he said.
He claims that the policeman pulls him by the legs while the dog pulls him by the arm. “There was nothing I could do. I thought that with the dog that caught me, the handcuffs would be put on and that’s it. I’ve never seen such an aggressive policeman and I’ve been around the police all my life.
“He was out of control. He gritted his teeth, calling to me, not to mention hitting and kicking. I’ve never resisted arrest, I’ve never experienced it before. “
Following his acquittal in 2019, PC Jackson, an award-winning employee who has been with GMP for 13 years, said: “It’s ridiculous that he went so far. to be a great team – we caught criminals.
“I made arrests, now I can’t for two years [that]. This is what members of the public have lost. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be an investigative body. What we do, we must be responsible for. But the way they do it is just wrong.
PC Paul Lockett (left) and PC Paul Jackson at Preston Crown Court (Image: Manchester Evening News)
“I was treated terribly by the IOPC. IOPC researchers have paid no attention to the work we do, the stress and everything we work on, and the fractions of a second we have to make every day. The way they did and coped with it is disgusting. and inappropriate. “
The IOPC then backed its investigation. The full decision of the panel is expected to be published next week.
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