Officer jailed after being convicted of assault
A serving West Midlands Police officer has been jailed for 12 weeks after found guilty of assaulting a man accused of failing to pay a bus fare.
The force said Police Constable Neville Bridgewood was convicted after a two-day trial at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court last month.
PC Bridgewood was one of several officers who responded to a panic alarm on a bus outside Bilston bus station on September 26 last year.
“A man had failed to pay the fare and during an altercation PC Bridgewood pushed the man who fell and sustained a cut to his leg, which did not require hospital treatment,” said West Midlands Police.
The force said 39-year-old PC Bridgewood, a neighbourhood officer, has been on non-front facing duties since charges were brought against him and has now been suspended.
A misconduct hearing will be conducted in due course, it added.
In a statement, West Midlands Police said: “We expect the highest standards of conduct from our officers and will bring to justice those who fall below that standard, including bringing criminal charges.”