5 hours ago
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A jury has been shown video footage of a North Wales Police officer allegedly strangling and assaulting a man while he was carrying out an arrest.
PC Richard Williams, 43, denies intentional strangulation and assault causing actual bodily harm on Steven Clark in May 2023.
Caernarfon crown court heard PC Williams would claim the force he used was "reasonable."
In police body-cam video played to jurors, a male officer is heard shouting repeatedly: "Stop resisting."
Opening the case, prosecutor Richard Edwards said PC Williams was alleged to have held Mr Clark in a headlock, on the ground in the front garden of a house at Porthmadog, and punched him repeatedly in the face.
Mr Edwards said when two officers had been about to handcuff Mr Clark, he'd been trying to explain to them that he had a bad wrist due to an accident. A cuff had been placed on Mr Clark's left wrist but he was in pain due to the previous injury, counsel said.
The prosecutor said it escalated to the three of them going to the ground in the garden. According to PC Williams, Mr Clark was resisting arrest for alleged common assault.
"All of this happened at lunchtime on a busy residential street in Porthmadog," Mr Edwards said.
A witness recorded the incident on camera from a nearby bedroom window and saw Mr Clark being taken to a police van.
"Swelling and bruising was plain to see," Mr Edwards said.
"Mr Clark sustained significant swelling to his left eye following this incident.
"A police officer doesn't have free rein to do whatever they want to effect an arrest."
Mr Edwards said PC Williams' claim is that he was using reasonable force to arrest Mr Clark who, he says, was resisting.
"The Crown say the defendant's actions have gone beyond reasonable force and he's physically assaulted Steven Clark," he said.
The trial continues.
