I couldn't breathe, says suspect held in headlock and punched by PC during arrest

A man has told a police misconduct hearing how he "couldn't breathe" as officers pinned him to the ground when they tried to arrest him.

Police attempted to arrest Steven Clark in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, when he ended up on the grass in a headlock, with one officer punching him nine times in the head, the hearing was told.

PC Richard Williams denies eight allegations of using unreasonable force.

The misconduct hearing follows a seven-day trial at Caernarfon Crown Court in 2025, where he was cleared of assault and intentional strangulation.

Police had been called to an estate following reports of a domestic argument in May 2023 where a woman told officers that Clark, then aged 34, was "off his head" on cannabis and speed.

But the misconduct hearing at North Wales Police headquarters in Colwyn Bay was told that when officers tried to arrest Clark, he pushed one to the ground and ended up on top of her.

Shortly afterwards, Williams was filmed by a neighbour lying on top of Clark, punching him to the head.

Fighting back tears, Clark told the hearing that he remembered very little of what happened.

"I couldn't breathe. He was choking me. He started punching me over and over.

"My body was like jelly... him twisting my neck right back... one officer sitting on me - I couldn't breathe."

Clark said he had been hurt in a motorbike accident in the past, and damaged nerves in his right arm, so it hurt him to bend it in certain ways.

He said he asked the officers to "arrest him forward" and put handcuffs on him in front of his body, but they did not listen.

But PC Einir Williams, the other officer originally sent to the house, said that her colleague's actions in arresting Clark were "not untoward".

"We were trying to get his arms in handcuffs - my role was to control his legs as he was kicking out. I was struggling to keep control of him.

"We wanted to do a front stack [handcuff him in front of his body], but we were on the ground, so handcuffing him from behind was the only option."

Her colleague faces eight allegations relating to the arrest of Clark, including using a headlock or "choker", unreasonable use of incapacitant spray, and throwing or dropping Clark into the back of a police van.

PC Matthew Iles, a training instructor with the Metropolitan Police, told the hearing that punching a suspect while trying to arrest them was a recognised technique for officers.

"It's all about justification," he said.

The misconduct hearing is due to last all week.