Four PSNI officers are on trial for affray after a fight broke out at a Belfast kebab shop in 2022. The prosecution alleges the officers used excessive force against a member of the public who intervened in a heated conversation.
Four Police Service of Northern Ireland ( PSNI ) officers are standing trial in Belfast Crown Court for affray, a charge related to unlawful fighting in public, stemming from an incident at a kebab shop in January 2022. Victoria Bell, Dean McCallum, Mark Fulham, and Taylor Annett, all based at PSNI headquarters in East Belfast , deny the charges.
The prosecution, led by barrister Kate McKay, presented CCTV footage from City Kitchen kebab shop on High Street, claiming it captures the entire altercation. According to the prosecution, on a Friday evening, a member of the public, Graham McCullough, ordered food at the shop and observed the four officers engaged in conversation with an older man wearing a red bobble hat. Concerned about the nature of the conversation, McCullough intervened, leading to a fight. Police were subsequently called to the scene.The defense, led by Ian Turkington KC, argued that their clients acted in self-defense against McCullough's aggression. The prosecution countered that the force used by the officers was unreasonable. McCullough, in his testimony, described the scene as boisterous and recalled the officers teasing the man in the red hat. He claimed he warned the tallest officer to leave the man alone before a confrontation escalated. McCullough admitted to headbutting Dean McCallum during the altercation, stating he did so after being surrounded and attacked. He described being punched in the ribs and head, eventually being taken to the ground and headlocked.The defense challenged McCullough's account, suggesting he was the aggressor and that his actions provoked the officers. They pointed to his previous cautioning by police for common assault, disorderly behavior, and affray. The defense argued that McCullough's behavior was reckless and that the officers were justified in their use of force. The court viewed the 27-minute CCTV footage of the incident, which will likely play a crucial role in the jury's deliberations
AFFRAY PSNI BELFAST KEBAB SHOP COURT TRIAL POLICE OFFICERS FIGHT CCTV FOOTAGE
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