A police officer accused of assaulting a two-year-old girl and her dad during a confrontation at a house in Oldham has been cleared following a trial.
PC Paul Cleasby, 34, from Middleton, was found not guilty of two counts of assault today. Although cleared of all charges, the GMP officer now faces possible disciplinary action.
After the toddler’s mum called emergency services to report her ex-partner would not move out of her home, officers from GMP turned up.
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The prosecution alleged PC Cleasby kicked a door into the child's face and punched her father while he was holding the toddler.
The officer strenuously denied the allegations during his trial at Liverpool Magistrates' Court. Today he was acquitted.
During the trial, he told a judge he did not know the two-year-old girl was there and did not believe she was struck by the door. He admitted repeatedly punching the girl's father, but said the first blow was in self-defence and that the next two punches were appropriate.
The incident began at about 10.30pm on November 18 last year and lasted about eight minutes in semi-darkness in the hallway and kitchen of the first floor flat, the court was told.
Footage from the officers’ body worn cameras was played to the court, showing the incident beginning after PC Cleasby refused to take his foot out of the door so the man could shut it until his former girlfriend came downstairs.
The officer told the court he did not want it to close and pushed it with his right hand with force. "Did you have any idea that the child was in the vicinity of the door?," asked his KC, Nicholas De La Poer. "No," he replied.
The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the officer was not invited in and the officer told him he did not need an invitation.
Asked for his assessment of the father's reaction, the officer answered: "It was very aggressive."
The man started shouting that the door had hit his daughter, the court heard. "I didn’t see it happen. I don’t believe I hit his daughter," the officer told the court.
He said that neither of the parents showed any concern for the child and 'things escalated very quickly'.
He told the district judge: "He was shouting and angry and shouting his daughter had been hit."
The PC said that when inside the house, the man moved towards him and he believed that 'there was an imminent risk to myself'.
The PC was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The watchdog said the officer had been found not guilty of both charges he faced. The court also confirmed the charges were 'dismissed'.
IOPC Director of Major Investigations Steve Noonan said: "It was important for the matters to be independently and thoroughly investigated and it was right it was heard in open court which provides the transparency that is vital for public confidence in policing and in the complaints system.
"Once our investigation has concluded, where necessary we present our findings to the Crown Prosecution Service who then decide whether to authorise a charge or not."
The IOPC added that its investigation had concluded that PC Cleasby 'has a case to answer for gross misconduct for breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour'.
"Now the trial is concluded we will be liaising with Greater Manchester Police about next steps regarding any potential disciplinary proceedings," said the watchdog.
A spokesman for GMP said: "We acknowledge today's outcome and consideration around misconduct proceedings will take place in due course."
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