Nicholas Walker secures acquittal for Police Constable accused of using dog as a weapon

June 18, 2019

A police constable from Greater Manchester who was alleged to have used his police dog as a weapon to cause serious injuries to 5 suspects he detained on duty has been unanimously acquitted after a 6 week trial at Preston Crown Court.

Nicholas Walker, led by Paul Greaney QC, argued that Police Constable Jackson had acted appropriately and professionally throughout the time the prosecution claimed he had used gratuitous violence against those he had detained. PC Jackson had been charged with 5 counts of wounding with intent.

Each of the 5 suspects who had complained had been seriously injured during their detention and the prosecution alleged that PC Jackson and Police Dog Jerry had either been deployed without justification or had been left on the suspect for too long, with the intention of causing them serious injury. The trial heard expert evidence about the use of police dogs and the level of force police officers are permitted to use.

At the conclusion of the trial before Mr Justice Nicklin the jury acquitted PC Jackson and a colleague, PC Lockett, whom the prosecution alleged had helped the attack on one of the suspects.

The case has received national coverage in publications such as The Telegraph, ITV News, BBC News and Manchester Evening News.

Nicholas specialises in criminal and disciplinary cases involving police officers and was instructed by Chris Fallows at Slater Gordon.