Police in CCTV ‘beating’ of war hero to be probed

The officers, called to deal with a man who was creating a nuisance, are said to have mistaken Mark Aspinall, 24, for the culprit.

CCTV footage of the incident appears to show PC Peter Lightfoot and a colleague chasing Mark and throwing him to the floor. They then seemingly bang his head on the ground and punch him eight times while holding him down.

Lance Corporal Mark, 24, who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq and was described as a model soldier by his commanding officer, was later charged with assaulting police and a public order offence.

Magistrates found him guilty and ordered him to pay the officers £250 in compensation. But the charges were quashed on appeal by judge John Phipps who said: “I am shocked and appalled at the level of police violence shown here.”

Now the Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an inquiry in the wake of the publication of the shocking CCTV images by our sister paper the Sunday Mirror.

The Greater Manchester Police’s professional standards branch is also holding an internal inquiry.

Mark, who admits being drunk, suffered 14 head injuries during the incident in Wigan.

RSS TrackBack URL

Translate: