Former Merseyside Police officer not guilty of assault following custody suite incident

A former custody sergeant has been found not guilty of assault after an incident that left a man with two broken teeth.

Ex-Merseyside Police officer Sgt Peter Jordan was cleared of ABH following a trial.

The IOPC received a mandatory referral from the force following the incident in the custody suite at St Anne Street Police Station, Liverpool, on 16 December 2018. A complaint was later received from the victim.

Our investigation looked at allegations that then Sgt Jordan had used excessive force on the man, who had been arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour, when bringing his head down onto the booking in desk. It also looked at the language used by ex-Sgt Jordan, who has since left the force, towards the man while he was at the custody desk.

After interviewing former Sgt Jordan and other witnesses, as well as reviewing CCTV footage, our report was completed on 12 December 2019.

We found ex-Sgt Jordan had a case to answer for gross misconduct. This finding was accepted by Merseyside Police.

We also referred the matter to the CPS, who authorised a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe said: “Following a detailed investigation, we found an indication that a criminal offence may have been committed and that the case should be referred to the CPS.

“It is important for police officers to be accountable for their actions so it was right that the matter should be given a fair hearing in open court and we thank all those involved in this process.

“In light of the jury’s verdict that a criminal offence was not committed, we will now consider what further action, if any, should follow.”