GMP officer sacked after grabbing boy's neck at care home

A Greater Manchester Police officer convicted of grabbing a boy by the neck at a children's home has been sacked from the force after a misconduct hearing.

Now former PC Benjamin Heppenstall was found guilty by a jury at Bolton Crown Court in September last year of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) after twice grabbing the 16 year-old by the neck and ripping his T-shirt off his back.

In January 2021, Heppenstall, who was based at GMP's Wigan division, was responding to an incident not involving the boy where threats had allegedly been made to two women who worked at the home.

Two suspects were arrested and were present in a room with the two alleged victims, who were unharmed. Heppenstall told the boy, who was sat near the suspects on a sofa, to get out of the room and 'go to bed'.

In a statement issued on the day of his conviction detailing the incident, GMP said the boy refused and Heppenstall 'proceeded to initially try and pull the boy up from the sofa by his arm'. He then put his hand 'forcefully' around the boy's neck and became 'verbally abusive', said the force.

He was jailed for 36 weeks, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete a period of community service.

The Chief Constable of GMP, Stephen Watson, presided over a misconduct hearing at force HQ in Newton Heath. The judgement has now been published on the force's website.

The ruling says Heppenstall has 'accepted that he has breached the standards of professional behaviour, namely discreditable conduct and use of force'.

He accepted, it goes on, that 'his actions amount to gross misconduct'. But he was said to consider that his actions were 'necessary, proportionate and reasonable'.

"He asserts that whilst not agreeing with the verdict of