Pc is jailed for punching child

Daniel Gaffney had pleaded not guilty to assault

A policeman has been jailed for 12 weeks for punching a 12-year-old boy in the face at a police station.

Pc Daniel Gaffney, 30, of Greater Manchester Police, admitted punching the boy but said he was acting in self-defence.

He had pleaded not guilty to assault, but magistrates rejected his claim.

Halton Magistrates' Court was told that Gaffney, who is suspended from duty, hit the boy so hard that a custody sergeant thought his nose was broken.

Gaffney attacked the boy in November last year at Didsbury police station after the boy was arrested at a children's home in Wythenshawe.

He had been drinking vodka with a friend and threatening staff with a fence post.

Child 'intimidating'

At the police station the boy claimed to have a gun and Gaffney took him to be strip-searched.

But by the time a colleague arrived to help, Gaffney had assaulted the boy.

Gaffney, of Northwich, Cheshire, a response officer with Greater Manchester Police for nearly seven years, initially lied to his bosses, claiming the boy fell.

A day later he admitted punching him with a force equivalent to a "seven or eight out of 10", he said, bursting the boy's nose.

He said that the child had intimidated him.

Colleagues 'commended'

Gaffney was suspended from the force as soon as the allegations came to light and police said his position would be reviewed.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Pc Gaffney has been convicted of assaulting a 12-year-old boy and these actions are unacceptable and in no way reflect the way our officers conduct themselves when dealing with people in custody or in their day-to-day work generally.

"I would like to highlight the fact that Pc Gaffney's colleagues raised concerns about his actions and that should be commended.

"The fact that fellow GMP officers acted quickly to raise their concerns and professional standards officers have robustly investigated these actions reinforces the principle that nobody is above the law and anyone who acts in this way will be dealt with accordingly."