Police officers found not guilty over kebab shop fight

Four police officers charged with affray following a fight in a Belfast kebab shop have been found not guilty.

The accused, who were all off duty at the time of the incident in the city centre, said they had been acting in self defence.

Dean McCallum, 37, Mark Fullam, 29, Victoria Bell, 39, and Taylor Annett, 25, all with addresses given as PSNI Brooklyn in Knock, Belfast, were acquitted at Belfast Crown Court.

They had said the force they used at City Kitchen in High Street in January 2022 was necessary and appropriate.

The court previously heard the police officers had gone to the kebab shop and were in a "jovial" spirit after a night's drinking.

It was alleged that a customer, Graham McCullough, entered the shop and whilst waiting on his food, witnessed and heard an interaction between the four defendants and a man wearing a red hat sitting on his own at another table.

Concerned about the interaction, Mr McCullough intervened, which resulted in a fight breaking out and on-duty police being called to the scene.

During the trial, in which all four police officers denied the charge against them, the jury was shown CCTV evidence of the incident.