Police officers found not guilty of assaulting man in Exeter

Two Devon and Cornwall Police officers have been found not guilty of assaulting a man in Exeter last year following a trial at Bristol Magistrates' Court.

The officers - Emmit Wookey, aged 30, and Liam Dunn, aged 28 - were charged following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The inquiry was launched following a complaint referral regarding an incident where the officers stopped and searched a man on New North Road, near to the junction with Longbrook Street, in Exeter city centre in the early hours of Sunday, March 19, 2023.

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During the investigation, IOPC investigators interviewed the three officers who carried out the stop and search. Investigators say they obtained witness statements from the complainant, from members of the public, and other police officers who had some involvement. IOPC investigators also reviewed police body worn video and CCTV which captured the interaction.

At the end of the investigation last September a file was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service who authorised the charges of common assault contrary to Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988

Pc Wookey and Pc Dunn were acquitted today (Thursday) after a three-day trial at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.

IOPC regional director David Ford said: "At the end of our investigation in September last year we referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service who decided to bring the charges of common assault. It was appropriate for the evidence from our investigation of force used against the man to be tested in court. The district judge has now found the two police officers not guilty."

A spokesperson for the IOPC said that now the criminal trial had concluded they would be liaising with Devon and Cornwall Police over any potential disciplinary proceedings for officers arising from the incident.

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