PC Everett Bonnick

A WILTSHIRE Police officer has lost his appeal against a conviction for assaulting a Trowbridge man in a dispute over rent.

PC Everett Bonnick, 37 who is based in Trowbridge, was found guilty of assaulting Darren Long in his home, but appealed against the decision.

Bonnick never accepted his guilt and took the case to Reading Crown Court, delaying justice by months.

Speaking after the appeal was rejected on Friday, Mr Long said: "After 18 long months I'm just glad it's all over. We were determined to get justice but we nearly ran out of steam.

"It's made our lives an absolute misery and going to court again was hell.

"Now he's been sentenced we can get on with our lives."

Judge C Tyrer sentenced Bonnick to a 12-month conditional discharge before ordering him to pay £100 costs and £100 compensation to his victim.

Mr Long, 39, formerly of Trowbridge, and his wife Kate, 39, were relaxing in their rented home in Melksham on Sunday, November 24, 2006, when Bonnick went into their house and appeared in their living room.

Mr Long, who now lives in Trowbridge, said: "Bonnick appeared out of nowhere, hauled me off the sofa and dragged me into the garden.

"I kept asking him to leave because he had bruised my chest and face when he wrestled me out of the house.

"The police arrived in five minutes before anything else happened and escorted them away.

"We gathered he was related to our next-door neighbour at the time who we were engaged with in a small dispute and misunderstanding about rent.

"Statements were taken and a police photographer took pictures of my injuries but then we were told he was not going to be prosecuted.

"After being told in January that the case was being dropped, weeks later we read about his court appearance in the Wiltshire Times, which made me absolutely livid."

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: "The officer was suspended from duty pending details of the appeal and he is now the subject of an internal disciplinary proceeding.

"It is force policy not to discuss officers at the centre of disciplinary proceedings or the outcomes of those proceedings and we will not be commenting further."

12:40pm Friday 16th May 2008

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