PC denies wanting to hurt man during arrest
BBCA police officer has said he did not want to hurt a man he is accused of assaulting during an arrest.
PC Richard Williams, 43, from North Wales Police, denies intentional strangulation and causing actual bodily harm on Steven Clark in May 2023.
Giving evidence at Caernarfon Crown Court, PC Williams said Mr Clark had assaulted his colleague, knocking her to the ground while they were both trying to arrest him.
He admitted punching Mr Clark in the face, but described the punches as "distraction blows" when they were both lying on the ground, and he could not reach his taser or baton.
The court heard that PC Richard Williams and his colleague, PC Einir Williams, had gone to an address in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, in May 2023 to answer a domestic violence call.
They decided they needed to arrest Mr Clark, but as PC Richard Williams tried to put handcuffs on him, he said Mr Clark went straight towards PC Einir Williams "like a rugby tackle", knocking her to the ground.
PC Richard Williams said he pulled Mr Clark away, but the pair ended up on the ground.
He told the court: "I had my hands around him, which naturally led to a headlock, but he continued to resist – he was pulling away from me.
"I was concerned for my safety and my colleague's safety.
"I punched him a number of times with my left hand. It's my weaker hand, but it was the only hand free.
"Little short punches was all I could do as distraction strikes, to stop him pulling away.
"We were lying on the ground and I couldn't get to my baton, my taser or my incapacitant spray."
He added that "at not point did we want to hurt Steven Clark. I did not want to use violence towards Steven Clark".
Both police officers were wearing bodycams which recorded much of the incident.
Richard Edwards, the prosecuting barrister, told PC Williams that the video evidence painted a very different picture, saying Mr Clark reacted the way he did because he was in pain because the handcuffs had not been applied properly.
"Did you intentionally strangle Steven Clark?" Mr Edwards asked the officer.
"No," PC Williams replied.
"Did you unlawfully assault Steven Clark?"
He responded: "No."
The trial continues.