Steven Rea, 39, of Baleside Close, Chelsfield, is charged with one count of common assault after the incident at Bexleyheath Police Station on October 13 last year.
The youngster, who was 14 at the time, had been arrested on suspicion of stealing a bottle of vodka from Iceland in Erith town centre.And despite the worry from the progressives about how stressful and intimidating young people find interaction with the justice system, he wasn't exactly chastened by his experience:
Defence counsel Billy Emlyn Jones suggested the youngster provoked the attack by showing Rea his middle finger after he had been brought into custody.Lovely!
Nor was that all…
Mr Emlyn Jones added: "You have no respect for the police doing their job.
"You did absolutely nothing to cooperate when you had been arrested.
"You made their job as difficult as you possibly could deliberately.
"The police had no choice but to try and pick you up and get you to a cell using force."Still, I'm sure his brief has coached him well on how to be contrite and express regret now he’s in the d…
Oh.
After viewing the footage the boy said: "You f**king mug. I haven't even seen this before and that is not right.
"I was drunk, that is what I am like when I am drunk.
"But what I did, I did not deserve that.
"It is not hard, they could have just picked me up and put me in a cell."Yes, indeed. Why should there be any consequences, he (quite reasonably) asks, when there haven’t been any up until now?
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Update: Bexley police officer Steven Rea guilty of assaulting youngster in custody suite. Rea was sentenced to a six-month conditional discharge and made to pay costs of £500.
Not sure what to make of this one to be honest.
District Judge Jeremy Coleman told Westminster Magistrates' Court: "Sadly it is absolutely clear that Sergeant Rea allowed himself to be provoked by a very difficult young character." He added: "I didn't find (the boy) to be a particularly impressive witness." And: "It is reprehensible that a 14-year-old should be allowed by his family to go out and behave this way."
A good insight, because...
When asked whether he received any injuries from the incident, the boy told the court: "The following day I was getting ready to have a bath and I hadn't really noticed it but my mum was like what's wrong with your body and there were bruises all over my neck."
We're not told what the mother did next. But it's likely that instead of dealing with her wayward son or adding her own bruises; she was busy looking up the number for the Compensation Hotline. The response also suggests that until this point, neither the son nor the mother had been aware an assault had taken place.
I think to correctly judge whether this officer overstepped the mark, we'd need to see the CCTV... and particularly, I'd like to know whether his final statement (below) about the boy's apparent age has merit.
From LocalLondon: Rea told Westminster Magistrates' Court: "He was just not cooperating in any way, shape or form. He was just silent from the word go. The finger was the final act that he was fully alert and aware of his surroundings and made it quite clear that he was just being uncooperative. It showed a level of violence and aggression. I was not angry, I was trying to elicit a response from him. I knew he was conscious. I knew he was alert. I knew he was awake. I expected him to hold himself up and use his own body weight."
He added that he "thought the youngster was 16 or 17 and did not believe him to be 14."
Finally, I notice most of the reports refer to the boy's 'alleged theft of a bottle of vodka'. Does that mean he wasn't charged, never mind convicted?
Have dealt with 'kids' like this in the past and they deliberately set out to wind you up, knowing that they can use this in their defence and, in the best case, get a Copper disciplined or charged with an offence, as has happened here, and is often used to detract from the offence which got them arrested in the first place. Financial compensation is a very attractive bonus. The 'boy' is no doubt now a local hero and will be more difficult to deal with. Notwithstanding this, Steven Rea should not have allowed himself to be put in this position. If anyone lies prone on the ground and refuses to get up, there are approved methods, usually involving more than one officer working together, to resolve the matter. Being told the incident is being recorded and may be shown in court usually makes them more aquiescent. The way I dealt with my last one, was to submit a report to Social Services suggesting the home life of the 'innocent wee bairn' be investigated as there were no doubt parental control and moral guidance issues. The result was that we received a call from Social Services at the house who were being assaulted by the lad. As he was led, handcuffed, to the Police car (which he then kicked and placed a huge dent in the door), one Social worker screamed from the back of the ambulance, "I hope you hang, you little sh*t!" Funnily enough, the accusations of assault by Police on the lad were upheld by that same social worker. Funny old world, isn't it?
Penseivat
Oh well the planets are finally in alignment-JP and I finally agree on something.
Having been in numerous custody suites and dealt with lots of oiks exactly like this one I know how annoying the situation can be.One loss of temper and it's job gone.The scum know this.
What will irritate me is the line up of ACPO experts making public statements about how pleased they are to get rid of a "corrupt" officer.They will have spent ten minutes as custody Sergeant many years ago having their hands held by their mentor on their race to the top.
Jaded
Oh well the planets are finally in alignment - JP and I finally agree on something.
What are the odds, hey? ;-)
Dreadful business. Still, here is the perfect mitigation, defence even, for those retired police who will eventually be rounded up and made to answer for their 'crimes' by the inevitable 'truth and justice commission' that will be a natural progression from Yewtree and Elvedon: All that ear - cuffing eh?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2342317/Thief-sues-police-refusing-make-WPC--claims-amnesia-forget-conviction.html
The word of a foul-mouthed, provocative, confessed underage drunkard and ne'er-do-well...against that of a custody Sergeant.
Gosh, a tricky one.
"Rea was sentenced to a six-month conditional discharge and made to pay costs of £500."
A con dis? Well, the mags had sympathy, clearly. I suspect Professional Standards won't...:/
And....why is a 14 year old getting undressed for a bath in front of his mother?1?
"As he was led, handcuffed, to the Police car (which he then kicked and placed a huge dent in the door), one Social worker screamed from the back of the ambulance, "I hope you hang, you little sh*t!" "
*chuckles*
I bet that was the slowest blues n' twos run ever, eh? ;)
"What will irritate me is the line up of ACPO experts making public statements about how pleased they are to get rid of a "corrupt" officer."
I await their wise words on this case with interest.
Good old MTG, yet another expert opinion.How many custody suites have you been in then Melvin?
PS Being sectioned doesn't count.
Jaded
Good evening, WC Jaded.
I feel obliged to return your compliment with sincerity. You must have the patience to await my acquisition of apparatus sufficiently sensitive to measure your vestigial wit and a day when I have an intense inclination to fritter my time.
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