A NORTH Wales Police officer has pleaded not guilty to wounding a teenager in an incident in Bangor last year.
Police Constable Ellis Thomas, of Gaerwen Uchaf in Gaerwen on Anglesey, appeared before Caernarfon Crown Court (sitting at Llandudno Magistrates) for a plea hearing on Friday, July 26.
He was accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm upon Harley Murphy, then aged 17, outside Cube nightclub in Bangor on January 29, 2023.
Thomas initially entered a “not guilty” plea at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on April 17.
At the latest hearing held today (Friday, July 26), he maintained the same plea.
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As such, a trial date for December 9 of this year was set out.
Michael Whitty, prosecuting, said that the trial will take place at Caernarfon Crown Court and is expected to last five days.
Thomas’ charge follows an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the level of force he used during the incident.
The IOPC’s investigation began in February 2023 after a complaint referral was submitted by North Wales Police.
At the end of its five-month investigation, a file of evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which then authorised the charge against the officer.
Thomas - who has no previous convictions - is currently suspended from duty, the court heard.
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