A serving special constable with Greater Manchester Police has been found guilty of assaulting a seven-year-old boy who "accidentally" sprayed him during a water fight with other kids. Andrew Parkinson, 55, was charged with assault by beating after the incident on May 7 last year.
Parkinson picked the victim up around the neck and chest after the youngster sprayed water on him as he was returning home. The child had been playing with other children in the street in Bolton, with the group throwing water at each other as they enjoyed the warm weather. As Parkinson returned to his home, a "small amount" of water landed on him.
The boy in question described the incident as an 'accident', a court heard.
Parkinson, a special constable with 30 years of service, decided to confront the boy. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), told the hearing at Liverpool Magistrates Court that the child stumbled over a rock as he was being told off by Parkinson, and fell into the man - an event that Parkinson claims to have seen as a "deliberate headbutt".
The man grabbed the young boy, placing his arm around the child's neck and torso, lifting him off the ground and carrying him towards the child's house. A number of the kids who had been playing with the boy, and a neighbour in the street, witnessed the incident and reported it to police.
Parkinson was later arrested and charged with assault by beating, and has been suspended from his role with the force. The boy, a neighbour, and the child's father all gave evidence against Parkinson at a trial at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Wednesday, June 15, where Parkinson claimed he had acted in lawful self-defence.
The court found Parkinson guilty of the offence, and he will be sentenced on August 1. Speaking after the case, senior crown prosecutor Joshua Sanderson-Kirk said: “This was a sensitive case which could only proceed with the support of the concerned neighbour, the parents of the young complainant and of course the complainant himself.
"Mr Parkinson took umbrage at young children playing innocently in the street and targeted a child. That child was supported by the police and the CPS to come to court to tell his story and help bring Mr Parkinson to justice.”
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