Wigan GMP officer convicted of assault at Bolton Crown Court

PC Bejamin Heppenstall, 33, assaulted the boy while on duty at an incident at a care home for young people in Wigan in January 2021.

A trial at Bolton Crown Court heard he assaulted the boy after arriving at the care home, where threats had allegedly been made to two women who work there and arrested two suspects.

Detective Chief Inspector Iqbal Ahmed, of  GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “This was a shocking use of unnecessary and excessive force by Benjamin Heppenstall on a defenceless teenage boy who absolutely should not have been treated this way.

“Our officers have a really challenging role and are faced with instances that the general public will never experience.

The trial took place at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

“However, officers are trained to act professionally and proportionately, and it is clear here that PC Heppenstall acted beyond what was necessary when faced with a verbal refusal by the boy to do what he had told him to do.

“A significant part of this case was the body-worn footage captured on PC Heppenstall’s camera, which goes to show that this important equipment, which every frontline officer has, is not just for their protection, but also for the public’s protection too.”

The jury was played footage from Heppenstall’s body-worn camera which showed how after he arrested two suspects the two workers were physically unharmed and present in the room.

Heppenstall, who worked in GMP's Wigan district, told a 16-year-old boy, who was sat near the suspects on a sofa, to get out of the room and “go to bed.”

The boy refused, and Heppenstall tried to pull the boy up from the sofa by his arm, before then putting his hand forcefully around the boy’s neck and being verbally abusive.

Heppenstall’s grip on the boy was enough to tear his t-shirt and pull it off him before he then forcefully grabbed his neck a second time.

This injured the boy and caused one of the workers, who was one of the initial victims, to try to intervene and pull Heppenstall away.

A formal complaint was made to Greater Manchester Police’s Professional Standards Directorate about the incident and investigators worked to secure evidence.

This included Heppenstall’s body-worn footage and witness statements, to build a case for assault.

The force says it suspended Heppenstall's duties in January 2021 and after a five-day trial he was convicted of actual bodily harm on Friday September 27 this year.

ALSO READ: Corrupt detective 'brazenly abused position' to steal and supply cocaine

ALSO READ: Police officer 'in relationship' with prisoner plotted burglary and money laundering

ALSO READ: 'Corrupt' police officer handed crash victims' details to claims company

GMP says that Heppenstall, of Ash Grove, Orrell, now faces being suspended from the force and that they are preparing misconduct proceedings.

DCI Ahmed said: “The public need to have trust and confidence in our officers, thousands of whom are professional and compassionate people who serve the people of Greater Manchester each and every day.

“However, Heppenstall’s actions do not represent this, and it is thanks to the dedication of the Professional Standards Directorate at GMP that we have done our job in ensuring he his brought to justice for his actions.”

Heppenstall will be brought back before the court to be sentenced on Wednesday November 27.