Teen convicted of assault on Police Officer

Thursday 01 February 2018

A 15-year-old boy has been found guilty of assaulting a Police Officer after he slapped the Officer's hands away twice.

The boy, who can't be named for legal reasons, was facing a trial for an incident that took place at a residential home in October 2017.

It was alleged that the teenager refused to hand over a laptop he had been using, and when the Officers arrived, he shouted at them to get out of his room. Moments after, the boy slapped PC Andrew du Feu's hand away. The officer warned him he would have to arrest him if he did it again. The boy then slapped the Officer's hand away a second time and was arrested. 

The teenager denied slapping the officer's hand away a second time, and said he simply came in contact with PC du Feu as he trying to leave the hallway.

Summing up the prosecution case, Legal Adviser Darry Robinson told the panel that the boy was "extremely angry" and "continued being aggressive even when the Police arrived... He was so angry that the Police Officer felt it necessary to put himself between him and the staff."

He continued, saying that the teenager laid hands on the Officer and that the Officers were perfectly entitled to arrest him when they did. "He was looking for trouble," said the Legal Adviser. He added:" This is not the greatest crime committed but the Officers were acting in their line of duty and they are entitled to be protected."

Defending, Advocate Ian Jones told the Court it was very clear that the teenager didn’t slap the Officer's hand a second time. He also said that the Officer's account that the arrest was a last resort was "a bit of a stretch" and that he could have retreated, saying he had over-reacted.   

Speaking for the boy he said: "He didn’t understand why the Officers were there, he thought it was unnecessary and an over-reaction. (The boy) knows his behaviour wasn’t what it should have been. The question is, was it criminal? My answer is, in those circumstances, no."

After retiring to consider their verdict, the Youth Court panel, which included Magistrate Bridget Shaw, Jean Cross and Matthew Beddoe, returned a guilty verdict. They explained that in their view, the boy was confrontational when he came into the corridor. Magistrate Shaw said: "You were agitated. You admitted you were angry and you were shouting. You were acting in a hostile and confrontational manner." 

"The second incident happened very quickly after the first one. There is strong evidence that it was the similar action with similar intent. Your demeanour wouldn’t have changed so quickly after the first incident. We could see in the video you were not in the door, you were not barricaded in as you said. We do not accept his left hand was on your chest."

The boy will be sentenced later this year as the Panel has asked for a social enquiry report to be prepared. In the meantime, the boy has been remanded on bail.