TVP officer assaulted child in police custody
A Thames Valley Police officer has been found guilty of battery after he struck a child in custody in the face.
Sergeant Matthew Myers, 49, hit the 16-year-old boy while he was in police custody in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on January 4, 2020. He then removed clothing, leaving him naked until a detention officer came into the cell to assist him.
At Luton Magistrates’ Court on Monday (February 22), Sgt Myers was given a community order for 200 hours of unpaid work.
The matter was voluntarily referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on January 16, 2020, and a file of evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in June. The CPS subsequently authorised charging the officer with battery, contrary to section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
IOPC regional director Graham Beesley said: “Sgt Myers abused his position as a custody sergeant to assault a child and he has now been convicted of that offence.
“His primary duty is to ensure the safety and welfare of all those who are detained and assaulting a looked-after child who was vulnerable, where English was not his first language, is the exact opposite of what the officer should have been doing. The sentence shows that officers are not above the law and this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.”
A decision on whether the officer should face disciplinary action is being considered.
