West Midlands Police officer charged with assault and PAVA misuse

A West Midlands Police officer has been charged with assault following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into allegations he used excessive force during a man’s arrest.

PC Brandon Harrison faces one count of actual bodily harm (ABH) and one of administering a noxious substance, namely PAVA incapacitant spray, against the man who was arrested on 16 August last year from a flat in Wolverhampton.

Officers had attended the address after the force received a dropped 999 call in which a disturbance was heard in the background. They found a man at the property who was wanted for failing to attend court.

PC Harrison is accused of punching him to the head during the arrest and later inappropriately spraying PAVA into the man’s face at close range while he was restrained in a police cell.

He also faces one charge under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 relating to an allegation he recorded footage from police body worn video onto his mobile phone without policing purpose.

PC Harrison is due to appear at Kidderminster Magistrates Court for a first appearance on 16 March 2026.

The charges follow a mandatory conduct referral made by West Midlands Police to us on 8 September last year.