'Aggressive' police officer warned after assault

A Nottinghamshire Police officer has been given a final written warning for his "unnecessary and aggressive" actions when violence broke out during a night out.

After being assaulted while out in Bingham in August 2023, PC David Barton pushed away members of the public to grapple with his attacker, leading to a commotion in which one person was headbutted, a misconduct panel heard.

He later made calls to the force control room to report the incident, which the panel ruled were "misleading".

The hearing on Thursday ruled PC Barton's actions amounted to "gross misconduct".

The panel heard while out with family and friends outside a bar and restaurant on the town's Market Place at about 22:00 BST, PC Barton was assaulted by an unknown man.

CCTV showed he then followed the man, pushing away people trying to de-escalate the situation, to grapple with his attacker.

A member of the public was headbutted - which PC Barton denied carrying out, stating that he was acting in self-defence when under attack by a group.

The panel ruled against self-defence but accepted PC Barton, a member of the force for 24 years, "would have perceived a serious threat" at points during the incident after initially being attacked unprovoked.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Hooks, one of three people on the panel, said: "Despite the provocation, he should have demonstrated more restraint and should have been more transparent in reporting his actions.

"His actions, in that short period, very nearly cost him his career."

The warning will remain on PC Barton's record for the next five years.

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