Officer filmed punching man during arrest cleared of excessive force

A North Wales police officer, PC Richard Williams, is cleared of wrongdoing after disciplinary allegations arising from a 2023 arrest in Porthmadog.

WalesOnline reports that a misconduct panel rules that eight allegations of gross misconduct are “not proven,” following an incident in May 2023 involving PC Williams and Steven Clark, a 34-year-old man. The accounts describe footage showing Williams punching Clark multiple times while he is restrained during the arrest.

The Daily Mail reports on the same case, stating the officer is found cleared and will keep his job. The outlet frames the incident as an arrest linked to an alleged attempt to break into a house, but the disciplinary outcome is consistent across sources: the panel does not prove the misconduct allegations.

Overall, all outlets agree on the key facts that the officer faced multiple allegations after filmed footage, and that the panel’s decision is that the allegations are not proven.