A police officer accused of assaulting a vulnerable teenager who was filming outside a police station has said he will “stand by his actions”.
Inspector Dean Gittoes, 49, of Merthyr Tydfil, is on trial for beating the 16-year-old while off duty on August 20 last year.
The incident was captured on a now-deleted YouTube video recorded by the youth, who claimed to be ‘checking’ Merthyr Tydfil Police Station in South Wales at the time.
Auditing refers to a global online community of people who record and upload videos of government buildings, such as police stations.
The teen can be seen filming the station building and parking lot before being confronted by Gittoes in footage played in front of Gwent Magistrates’ Court.
Gittoes, who had gone to the station on his day off to pick up a cell phone, is seen wearing a gray Swansea City football shirt and black shorts and asks the boy, ‘Who are you? What’s your name?’
Inspector Dean Gittoes, 49, of Merthyr Tydfil, is on trial for beating 16-year-old while off duty on August 20 last year
The teen can be seen filming the station building and parking lot before being confronted by Gittoes in footage played in front of Gwent Magistrates’ Court
When the boy refuses to give his details and only replies that he was filming, the inspector accuses him of being a terrorist and arrests him within seconds.
A scuffle ensues with Gittoes confiscating the boy’s phone and placing it in an armrest.
Surveillance cameras show him leading the boy into the station and later forcing him to his knees using the brace.
In another clip, he appears to be pushing the youth against a wall.
The teens sobs and cries of pain can be heard as his phone continues to record the audio, and later can be heard yelling, “He’s choking me.”
You hear Gittoes say to the boy, “You’re a smart little internet freak who’s about to learn it the hard way.”
The phone picked up Gittoes’ conversation with colleagues in which he said, “Six weeks ago I dealt with someone like that and the bosses think it’s a joke so far.
“I won’t give anyone I catch now a second chance.”
He later said, “F*** him this time. I’ll do what I should have done last time.’
Gittoes told the court that as a result of two previous incidents involving auditors at the police station and threats by gangs directed at officers stationed there, he believed the teen was conducting hostile reconnaissance and thus posed a terror threat.
Prosecutors say the arrest was illegal and Gittoes did not honestly believe the boy was committing a terror offense.
Detective Inspector Katherine Morris, of counter-terrorism, told Gittoes after the arrest that the teen was “clearly not a terrorist,” and a custody sergeant assessed the boy as “vulnerable” before he was released without charge.
Instead, they say he acted out of his distaste for auditors and frustration with the way senior officers handled incidents involving auditors.
One of the earlier incidents involved the arrest of David Abrahams – who had a YouTube page devoted to auditing called Iechyd Dai – at the station in September 2020, after which he was given a Community Protection Notice (CPN).
The second incident involved Gittoes, who had confronted another auditor from South Wales who had visited the station to film in June last year.
Although Gittoes did not arrest him, a video of their interaction was uploaded to the internet and attracted thousands of viewers and comments, some about finding out where the inspector and his family lived.
Gittoes admitted in court that he later went on the man’s site and was concerned about the content there, including “audits” of other police stations and government offices like the Senedd.
He told the court: ‘In retrospect, I wish I had arrested him.
“I’m concerned that these videos could help someone who wants to attack a police station or damage a government building.”
The court heard that South Wales Police Department guidelines seen by Gittoes following similar incidents in the police area advised officers that members of the public have a general right to film government buildings on public land and that it is not a terrorist act. crime is to be done.
It also said that if a person identifies themselves as an auditor, ignore them.
However, Gittoes told the court, “I thought we shouldn’t ignore people on the basis that they call themselves accountants when there’s a clear threat there.”
In an interview with investigators at the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) after his youth’s arrest, Gittoes said: “I stand by my actions.
‘Sometimes you can’t follow the guidance and you have to take a risk.’
In the courtroom he said: ‘What I see is someone dressed suspiciously, filming and not giving me an explanation.
“I didn’t feel like I could just walk away. I thought he was a threat.’
Detective Inspector Katherine Morris, of counterterrorism, told Gittoes after the arrest that the teen was “clearly not a terrorist,” and a guard assessed the boy as “vulnerable” before he was released without charge.
The process continues.