A police officer has been accused of unlawfully tasering a man who threw his boxer shorts at him during a strip search.
A jury a Bristol Crown Court heard that the doorman at Moo Moo nightclub in Trowbridge ejected Daniel Dove and called police to arrest him for being drunk and disorderly.
These charges were eventually dropped, but during his arrest, Dove is accused of punching PC Lee Birth and repeatedly kneeing PC David Read in the groin.
Dove was then taken to Melksham Police Station where he was booked and a strip search was authorised.
As Dove took his underwear off during the strip search, he flicked them at PC Birth’s face. PC Birth reacted by throwing the boxer shorts against the wall, producing a taser, and firing it at Dove’s chest, which the prosecution claims went beyond a “reasonable” use of force.
However, colleagues of PC Birth described Dove as aggressive and posing a threat to officers while in custody, and so his behaviour may have warranted such a use of force.
PC Birch denies charges of assault and misconduct in a public office.
The case continues.
