Lincolnshire Police officer removed from duty after on-camera “assault”

A video has emerged of a Lincolnshire Police officer allegedly assaulting a man at the roadside on the A46, with the incident being investigated by the force.

The incident happened on the A46 between Newark and Lincoln around 8pm-9pm on Wednesday, May 26, and it was captured on a phone camera by a vehicle passenger.

The video shows tree surgeon Shane, who wishes to keep his surname anonymous while legal proceedings are ongoing, after he saw a man driving in a black Ford allegedly obstructing the lane on the dual carriageway, whilst reportedly using his phone.

When the two of them pulled over and got out of the cars, the 20-year-old asked the officer why he’d taken a photo of him and his wife and about his driving.

He then suddenly found himself being punched in the face, having his foot stamped on despite telling the officer it had stitches in it from a chainsaw-related injury at work, before then being held on the ground.

Shane repeated several times he cannot breathe while the officer had him pinned down to the ground. The officer then released him and said hello to the camera.

Shane was later arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife blade or sharply pointed article, and on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. He was released without charges, pending investigation.

Lincolnshire Police said the officer, who has not been named, has been removed from normal duties pending an investigation.

Below is the full uncensored recording The Lincolnite has been sent. We have not seen any footage from before or after the time of the recorded incident.

The Lincolnite spoke to Shane, who detailed more of his story.

Another officer turned up at the scene and Shane said he was shocked to be arrested. He was later released under investigation on Thursday.

Shane said he feels traumatised and it was “the worst night of his life” and he is now “too scared to enter Lincolnshire” despite some of his work being here. He has since spoken to a lawyer about the incident.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: “At around 9.20pm on Wednesday, May 26 a man in his 20s was arrested just off the A46, near Aubourn.

“He was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife blade or sharply pointed article; and on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

“He has been released under investigation.

“Following this incident, an officer has been removed from normal duties while a review and investigation takes place by our Professional Standards Department.

“We will not be commenting further while this investigation takes place.”

Shane’s foot is in agony as the incident opened back up the stitches he’d recently had put in, and he was about to go into the hospital when he spoke to The Lincolnite to give his version of events.

He said: “Me and my wife were on the way back from Nottingham to Newark, and near Lincolnshire we wanted to get some food.

“As I was indicating to come out safely, a chap came up behind me in his vehicle aggressively and tried to take a photo of me. I flashed him and indicated.

“We stopped and explained to him that he can’t be driving while using his phone and asked what he was doing with the photo.

“He grabbed me straight away. I pointed out he was being recorded. He then got more aggressive, grabbed me by the back of the neck, pushed me in the throat and got me against the fence.

“I repeatedly told him I had an injury on my foot. He still hadn’t told me he was officer at this point and I thought he looked like a security guard.

“I felt so afraid and when his hand was on my throat it made me think of George Floyd and I thought the officer was going to kill me.

“I tried to remove his hand from my throat and he punched me in the face. He also stood on my foot which I’d told him it was injured

“He then got me on the ground and in my head I was visioning what happened to George Floyd. I asked him what he was doing and what I had done wrong.

“Whilst I was on the floor he got close to me and said if I moved he was going to hurt me, I was trembling for my life.

“He got up and went to his car and got his handcuffs. Soon after his colleague arrived and I was arrested and was told it was for an assault of an officer. I explained to the officer that arrested me that I had the bladed article on me because of my work, and had other tools in the van.

“My wife tried to show the video to the other officer, but he was uninterested. The night I was arrested I was scared and worried that the officer (who assaulted me) would do more to me at the station. Traveller and gypsy lives matter.”

He added that he spoke to his GP who says he has anxiety from the incident and wants to speak with him again.

Shane also claimed a police officer tried to call his wife’s phone on Friday and when she found out it was the police she said she didn’t want to talk to them without a solicitor present.