North Wales Police officer not guilty of GBH on a teenage boy

A North Wales Police officer has been found not guilty of grievous bodily harm (GBH) following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

A six-day trial at Mold Crown Court has concluded today (29 April), with PC Ellis Thomas, aged 25, being cleared of causing GBH to a 17-year-old during an arrest outside the Cube nightclub in Bangor, in January 2023.  

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “Having heard and tested the evidence, the court has now reached its decision and we respect its verdict. This was a serious allegation, against a child, so it was important the incident was independently and thoroughly investigated. After we presented our evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), it authorised the charge of grievous bodily harm.”

We decided to investigate following a complaint referral from North Wales Police and when we had concluded our work in July 2023, we sent a file of evidence to the CPS, which brought the charge against the officer.

As part of our enquiries, we secured and reviewed body worn video and CCTV footage, we interviewed PC Thomas under caution and gathered statements from other relevant police officers and from members of the public, including children.

Now that the criminal case has concluded, we will liaise with the force on the next steps regarding any potential disciplinary proceedings for PC Thomas.