A police constable who placed a suspect in a headlock and struck him repeatedly during an arrest in Porthmadog did nothing wrong, according to BBC reporting on a misconduct hearing. The hearing, which resumed this week, is examining assault allegations against the officer, the Morning Star reports.
The suspect said he was unable to breathe while being held in the headlock and punched by the constable during the arrest, according to a separate BBC report. The officer told the hearing that the man he punched nine times was violent and needed to be arrested, North Wales Live reports.
Coverage of the case has also included an account that the man was slammed to the floor and swung around a garden by a Gwynedd police officer, as reported by the County Times. The hearing concerns assault allegations, and the proceedings have drawn attention from several outlets across Wales and the wider UK press.
The accounts presented so far set the officer's position that his use of force was justified against the suspect's description of the arrest. The BBC's headline framing indicates the constable was found to have acted properly, while other outlets have focused on the complainant's experience and the specifics of the force used.
The misconduct hearing is set to continue, with further evidence expected to be heard before any conclusion is reached.