Cop given suspended sentence for teen assault
8:40am Thursday 11th October 2012 in News
A SHAMED police officer who inflicted "excruciating pain" on a 15-year-old boy in custody has avoided an immediate jail term.
Stephen Hudson, aged 43, of Gilliburns Walk, Westhoughton, was convinced by a jury of misconduct in a public office after CCTV showed him using excessive force three times on the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Swinton Custody Suite on March 5, 2011.
Judge Peter Davies sentenced Hudson to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months.
He criticised a police sergeant and two officers for also behaving disreputably, saying their conduct cannot be what the public expects.
Judge Davies said the footage and sentencing remarks will be sent to GMP's chief constable Peter Fahy and to the person in charge of the custody suite.
He added: "This was an unnecessary infliction of excessive force on a young man who was incapable of providing any meaningful resistance. It was an exercise of deliberate degradation and humiliation aggravated by your position, the intimidating presence of your colleagues and the location, a busy police station."
Footage showed Hudson, who was more than a foot taller than the boy, bend the victim's arm behind his back and hoist him off the floor so his head and chest slammed into s tray on the custody desk.
He said the two police women murdered while on duty demonstrated the public's respect for the police service.
But he added Hudson was one of the "tiny few" who betray the public's trust.
Michael Hayton, defending, said Hudson was a "broken man" and had suffered financially from the conviction, which has caused him to lose his job.
He said the defendant's three children had suffered from the publicity the case attracted.
The incident happened after the boy, who was arrested for breaching a bail condition, refused to comply with a search.
The three other police present will be dealt with at a disciplinary meeting. It will involve a final written warning, Bolton Crown Court heard today.
