A POLICEMAN who was involved in the arrest of a man in Porthmadog which was shared widely on social media has been charged with multiple offences.

PC Richard Williams, 42, is due at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court on January 4 to face charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and non-fatal strangulation.

The charges relate to force used during the arrest of a man in Porthmadog on May 10, in the garden of a property in the town.

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This follows an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into his behaviour.

The IOPC’s investigation began the same month after a referral was submitted by North Wales Police.

At the end of its investigation in November, it sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which has since authorised the charges against the officer.

North Wales Police has informed the IOPC that the officer remains suspended.

At about 11am on May 10, two officers were sent to a reported disturbance at an address in the town.

Then, at roughly 11.50am, the officers located a man in the garden of a nearby house and arrested him.

Footage showed an officer striking a man to his head a number of times while on the ground.

The same officer used incapacitant spray towards the man as he was being placed in the rear of a police van.

While enroute to the police station, it was noticed that the man appeared to be unwell and was given first aid.

He was then taken by ambulance to hospital and was later released back into police custody.

The IOPC has examined police body-worn video and phone footage of the incident, taken witness statements including from the injured man, and located relevant CCTV footage.