A WEST Midlands Police officer has been cleared of assault after he struck a man with a baton leaving him with a wounded head.
But PC Sunil Narr is now expected to face a gross misconduct hearing, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said.
He was found not guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (June 7) following a week-long trial.
He had denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The allegation arose from an incident in the Hillfields area of Coventry early on August 1, 2017, when a man was detained following a police pursuit.
PC Narr told the court that despite striking the man, he had not deliberately aimed at his head.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “We carried out an investigation following a referral from the force and a file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
“The CPS made the decision to charge PC Narr with assault in September last year.
“Our investigation also concluded that an independent tribunal could find that PC Narr had breached standards of professional behaviour during the incident and the force agreed.
“It is expected that a gross misconduct hearing will be organised by the force in due course.”