Police suspended for inquiry into claims officers attacked car after seatbelt row

Two police officers were taken off operational duty after a 70-year-old man who drove away when he was stopped for not wearing a seatbelt complained they smashed his car window and kicked his windscreen.

One officer repeatedly hit the driver-side window of Robert Clive Whatley's Range Rover with a baton while another stood on the bonnet.

Whatley, of Usk, Monmouthshire, was convicted of driving offences yesterday.

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He was reportedly followed for 17 minutes after driving off while Gwent Police officers issued him with a fixed penalty notice.

He claimed he drove away because he thought he had been dealt with and needed his medication for a heart condition and a stroke.

Whatley, who stayed within the speed limit during the pursuit, says he thought the police car was sounding its siren and had its blue lights on because it was escorting him home.

He pulled over when confronted by a police stinger device on the road into Usk.

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Footage of the incident, filmed from the police car and published online, shows an officer running towards Whatley's black 4x4 and breaking the window when it stops on a country road. Whatley is dragged out about a minute later. Another officer climbs onto the bonnet and appears to kick the windscreen.

A two-day trial at Caerphilly Magistrates' Court heard police evidence that Whatley was aggressive during the incident last September. He was found guilty of not wearing a seatbelt, of failing to stop and of having tinted windows that did not conform to legal requirements. He was cleared of another charge of failing to stop after an accident.

He admitted having a registration plate which did not meet regulations and was fined a total of 235 and ordered to pay 300 prosecution costs.

Deputy Chief Constable Carmel Napier said: "When the incident happened Gwent Police had great concerns about what appeared to have occurred.

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"Immediate contact was made with the complainant, his concerns recorded and a voluntary referral made by the force to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which agreed to supervise the investigation into the incident and the complaints raised by Mr Whatley.

"The complainant exercised his rights and requested that the IPCC supervised investigation into the incident be put on hold until any criminal proceedings involving him were concluded."

In the meantime the force said it immediately removed the two police officers from operational duties and was awaiting the conclusion of criminal proceedings before resuming the IPCC-supervised investigation.

"Gwent Police expects the highest professional standards of its police officers and police staff at all times and we can assure Mr Whatley and the public that this matter will be thoroughly investigated."

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