A Met Police officer with a ‘fiery mood’ has prevented jail after she pinned a person to the bottom and assaulted him after he bit her, a courtroom heard in the present day.
PC Claudia Pastina, 30, was attending a police name when she confronted Augustine Amatta at an tackle in Brixton, southwest London, on February 19 final 12 months.
Mr Amatta informed Pastina that he was the owner of the property in Brixton Highway, however she doubted that he ought to have been there, Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket heard.
Physique worn footage confirmed PC Pastina pinning Mr Amatta to the bottom as she informed him: ‘Cease kicking off. Hear, I am going to punch you within the f*****g face when you do not shut up.
‘Guess what? You are going straight to jail for 3 years. I do not care who you might be.’
PC Pastina, of Woolwich, southeast London, admitted assault by beating.
PC Claudia Pastina, 30, pinned Augustine Amatta to the bottom and assaulted him after he bit her, a courtroom heard in the present day. Pictured, PC Pastina at Westminster Magistrates Court docket
Jordan Pratt, prosecuting, informed the courtroom: ‘You possibly can strip this case again — she was offended and misplaced her mood and acted in the best way she has.
‘You possibly can see that is anger and frustration and annoyance due to the language used and the behaviour of the defendant.’
He mentioned PC Pastina had the chance handy over the arrest of Mr Amatta to a colleague however she selected to not stroll away after the person bit her.
‘She made a aware alternative not to do this [walk away] as a result of she was offended.
‘She’s not used to attending the sort of name, however officer Pastina, on this physique worn (footage) hits the person on the top.
‘It’s a actual danger that each time a police officer attends the scene of against the law, they may very well be assaulted.
‘Nevertheless, this isn’t a civilian particular person, that is an officer who has elected to place herself within the line of fireside.’
A report submitted to courtroom described PC Pastina as having ‘a brief and fiery mood’.
Mr Pratt mentioned the police officer acted ‘wholly unreasonably’ and her actions amounted to ‘an abuse of energy or a place of belief’.
PC Pastina broke down in tears within the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket as she was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment suspended for 2 years. File picture
Luke Ponte, defending, described PC Pastina as ‘considerate, conscientious and hardworking’ however conceded: ‘It might be tough to reconcile what you’ve got seen on the physique worn footage’.
He informed the courtroom that she stays a serving police officer, however ‘inevitably she’s going to face skilled penalties on account of her conviction’.
Mr Ponte mentioned: ‘She apologises to the sufferer and the Metropolitan Police for her conduct.
‘It was an emergency name she was attending. The decision was that Mr Amatta had been threatening people with a brick, he was behaving erratically all through the incident.’
He claimed Mr Amatta bit one other officer’s arm, via his shirt and makes an attempt to speak to him had failed.
‘After all officers should present restraint, however the distinctive function is her psychiatric background. It was the primary time that she had been assaulted on this gravity at work.’
District Choose Annabel Pilling informed PC Pastina: ‘The physique worn footage doesn’t make for nice viewing. The officer I noticed isn’t the officer I examine within the experiences.
‘I noticed an officer utilizing appalling language full of vitriol and it appeared that lack of mood obtained the higher of her.
‘It’s proper that up till that time you had been somebody of fine character, even exemplary character, however the flip-side is that makes it far worse.
‘Attempting to regulate an erratic and doubtlessly harmful defendant, you crossed that line to a prison offence.’
PC Pastina broke down in tears within the dock as she was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment suspended for 2 years.
