Lying police officer caught punching off-duty soldier eight times on CCTV faces jail - A police officer is facing jail after assaulting an off-duty soldier as he arrested him and then lying under oath to cover up his actions.
Special Constable Peter Lightfoot, 40, was captured on CCTV striking Mark Aspinall's head on the ground, rubbing his face in the tarmac and hitting him with his police helmet as he was restrained during an arrest.
He claimed that Mr Aspinall, 24, who was then a Lance Corporal with the Royal Mechanical engineers, had been struggling violently as he and two other officers tried to arrest him after he was ejected from a nightclub for being drunk.
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During a three week trial at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court, the court heard that Mr Aspinall had been charged and convicted of two counts of assaulting a police officer in July 2008, but had later had his conviction quashed at Liverpool Crown Court following an appeal.
In the appeal hearing, Lightfoot told the court under oath that he did not strike Mr Aspinall with a helmet and did not strike his head against the road claiming, 'I did not rub his face in the tarmac there, I was holding his head down'.
But Lightfoot was last week convicted of perjury and yesterday a jury also found him guilty of the Section 47 assault. He showed no emotion as the verdict was returned.
He was cleared of one further count of assault and also of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Releasing him on bail, Judge Jeffery Lewis said there was an 'overwhelming likelihood' that he would be sent to jail when he is sentenced on September 1.
Attack: Special Constable Peter Lightfoot is facing jailTwo other officers, Sgt Stephen Russell, 34, and PC Richard Kelsall, 28, were cleared on Friday of any wrong-doing following the incident in Wigan town centre during the early hours of July 27 2008.
The court heard that Mr Aspinall - who had been in the armed forces for seven years - had been on a night out with his military rugby team on a farewell tour before he was due to leave the army in September 2008.
He claimed after he was ejected from the Walkabout nightclub he had been 'frogmarched' into the street and then 'launched' across the street, before remonstrating with the officers in the middle of the road.
Video from a CCTV camera captured two incidents in which it was alleged the officers had assaulted Mr Aspinall. In the first, it was claimed the officers had physically thrown him into the road outside the club, after frogmarching him to the kerb, and then assaulted him as the three tried to arrest him on the ground.
But the jury found Sgt Russell and PC Kelsall innocent after they heard that Mr Aspinall had a history of causing drunken bust-ups, and was struggling violently with the officers as they tried to restrain them.
The jury heard that a drunk Mr Aspinall had been shouting 'get the f*** off me' and swearing at them as tried to remove him from the back of the Walkabout nightclub.
As they tried to arrest him on the ground, he bit PC Kelsall and was shouting and swearing at officers as he was put into the back of the police van.
It emerged that the ex-soldier had received a fixed penalty notice in June 2006 for being drunk and disorderly, and again in April 2008 for a section five public order offence in Bolton during which he told officers he would "twat them all".
Sgt Russell and PC Kelsall were both cleared of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
But the jury found that Lightfoot, who had undertaken the volunteer role with Greater Manchester Police in 1990 for three years, before rejoining the force as a special constable in 2000, had assaulted Mr Aspinall after CCTV footage was shown of him striking the off-duty solider's head against the tarmac, rubbing his face into the tarmac and then hitting his with his police helmet.
Mr Ian Unsworth QC, for the prosecution, told the jury, 'For his sins, his head was struck onto the road surface and then, for good measure his face was rubbed into the same road surface.
'Before matters came to an end and without any possible justification, one of the officers picked up his police helmet and used it to tap the man to his face.
'Victim': Mark Aspinall, pictured with his girlfriend last month, was subjected to a prolonged attack
'It was an entirely gratuitous act.' He added that during the course of Mark Aspinall's appeal against his conviction at Liverpool Crown Court, Lightfoot gave evidence on oath.
Mr Unsworth said, 'That evidence, we regret to say, was a travesty of the truth.'
Following the verdicts, IPCC Commissioner Ms Naseem Malik said, 'It is clear from the evidence that Mr Aspinall was drunk, aggressive and causing a nuisance.
'He was exhibiting the kind of behaviour that police officers have the unfortunate duty to deal with on a regular basis.
'That is why officers are trained to deal with such individuals in a professional manner. However in this incident Special Constable Lightfoot's training would appear to have been replaced by a red mist. His actions were violent, excessive and unjustified.
'I am grateful to Greater Manchester Police and our investigators for the thorough and professional work they have done in examining this matter. I have noted the jury's decision in relation to the other officers and we respect that.
'The IPCC and Greater Manchester Police must still consider whether it is appropriate for any of the officers to be subject to misconduct action.'
Greater Manchester Police's Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said, 'The conduct of SPC Lightfoot that day fell well below the standard we expect at Greater Manchester Police.
'His actions in no way reflect the committed and professional attitude shown by the vast majority of our Special Constables, who are highly trained in the best ways to safely detain prisoners.
'We are even more disappointed that he knowingly lied before a criminal court.
'The force's Professional Standards Branch has carried out a thorough investigation, under the management of the IPCC. It will now examine the case to decide what disciplinary action against the three officers involved in this case is required.' ( dailymail.co.uk )
Special Constable Peter Lightfoot, 40, was captured on CCTV striking Mark Aspinall's head on the ground, rubbing his face in the tarmac and hitting him with his police helmet as he was restrained during an arrest.
He claimed that Mr Aspinall, 24, who was then a Lance Corporal with the Royal Mechanical engineers, had been struggling violently as he and two other officers tried to arrest him after he was ejected from a nightclub for being drunk.
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Three police officers approach L/Cpl Aspinall after he was kicked out of a bar (above) before he is held down and punched (below)
During a three week trial at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court, the court heard that Mr Aspinall had been charged and convicted of two counts of assaulting a police officer in July 2008, but had later had his conviction quashed at Liverpool Crown Court following an appeal.
In the appeal hearing, Lightfoot told the court under oath that he did not strike Mr Aspinall with a helmet and did not strike his head against the road claiming, 'I did not rub his face in the tarmac there, I was holding his head down'.
But Lightfoot was last week convicted of perjury and yesterday a jury also found him guilty of the Section 47 assault. He showed no emotion as the verdict was returned.
He was cleared of one further count of assault and also of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Releasing him on bail, Judge Jeffery Lewis said there was an 'overwhelming likelihood' that he would be sent to jail when he is sentenced on September 1.
Attack: Special Constable Peter Lightfoot is facing jail
The court heard that Mr Aspinall - who had been in the armed forces for seven years - had been on a night out with his military rugby team on a farewell tour before he was due to leave the army in September 2008.
He claimed after he was ejected from the Walkabout nightclub he had been 'frogmarched' into the street and then 'launched' across the street, before remonstrating with the officers in the middle of the road.
Video from a CCTV camera captured two incidents in which it was alleged the officers had assaulted Mr Aspinall. In the first, it was claimed the officers had physically thrown him into the road outside the club, after frogmarching him to the kerb, and then assaulted him as the three tried to arrest him on the ground.
But the jury found Sgt Russell and PC Kelsall innocent after they heard that Mr Aspinall had a history of causing drunken bust-ups, and was struggling violently with the officers as they tried to restrain them.
The jury heard that a drunk Mr Aspinall had been shouting 'get the f*** off me' and swearing at them as tried to remove him from the back of the Walkabout nightclub.
As they tried to arrest him on the ground, he bit PC Kelsall and was shouting and swearing at officers as he was put into the back of the police van.
It emerged that the ex-soldier had received a fixed penalty notice in June 2006 for being drunk and disorderly, and again in April 2008 for a section five public order offence in Bolton during which he told officers he would "twat them all".
Sgt Russell and PC Kelsall were both cleared of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
But the jury found that Lightfoot, who had undertaken the volunteer role with Greater Manchester Police in 1990 for three years, before rejoining the force as a special constable in 2000, had assaulted Mr Aspinall after CCTV footage was shown of him striking the off-duty solider's head against the tarmac, rubbing his face into the tarmac and then hitting his with his police helmet.
Mr Ian Unsworth QC, for the prosecution, told the jury, 'For his sins, his head was struck onto the road surface and then, for good measure his face was rubbed into the same road surface.
'Before matters came to an end and without any possible justification, one of the officers picked up his police helmet and used it to tap the man to his face.
'Victim': Mark Aspinall, pictured with his girlfriend last month, was subjected to a prolonged attack
'It was an entirely gratuitous act.' He added that during the course of Mark Aspinall's appeal against his conviction at Liverpool Crown Court, Lightfoot gave evidence on oath.
Mr Unsworth said, 'That evidence, we regret to say, was a travesty of the truth.'
Following the verdicts, IPCC Commissioner Ms Naseem Malik said, 'It is clear from the evidence that Mr Aspinall was drunk, aggressive and causing a nuisance.
'He was exhibiting the kind of behaviour that police officers have the unfortunate duty to deal with on a regular basis.
'That is why officers are trained to deal with such individuals in a professional manner. However in this incident Special Constable Lightfoot's training would appear to have been replaced by a red mist. His actions were violent, excessive and unjustified.
'I am grateful to Greater Manchester Police and our investigators for the thorough and professional work they have done in examining this matter. I have noted the jury's decision in relation to the other officers and we respect that.
'The IPCC and Greater Manchester Police must still consider whether it is appropriate for any of the officers to be subject to misconduct action.'
Greater Manchester Police's Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said, 'The conduct of SPC Lightfoot that day fell well below the standard we expect at Greater Manchester Police.
'His actions in no way reflect the committed and professional attitude shown by the vast majority of our Special Constables, who are highly trained in the best ways to safely detain prisoners.
'We are even more disappointed that he knowingly lied before a criminal court.
'The force's Professional Standards Branch has carried out a thorough investigation, under the management of the IPCC. It will now examine the case to decide what disciplinary action against the three officers involved in this case is required.' ( dailymail.co.uk )
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