Gwent Police: Ex-PC tells court he used force in self-defence

Mr Palubinskas said he did so in “self-defence” after Mr Boukhari punched him in the head twice and bit his arm with “full force”.

He said he pressed his emergency radio because he believed he was in “great danger”.

Mr Boukhari previously admitted in court that he was driving while disqualified, which is why he was stopped by Mr Palubinskas the day before the alleged assault.

The court was told Mr Palubinskas arranged to meet Mr Boukhari the following day with another officer, so they could arrest him and take him to the station.

The jury heard Mr Boukhari refused to go to the station himself.

During that meeting, Mr Boukhari ran away, and that is when the defendant chased him into the garden of a property in Newport.

Mr Palubinskas told the jury when he entered the garden of the property and asked Mr Boukhari to show him his hands, he failed to do so.

That is when the PC used Pava spray, an incapacitant spray similar to pepper spray that is used by police.

Mr Palubinskas told the jury Mr Boukhari used his arms to block two attempts to spray him, and that is when he hit him for the first time with a baton to his legs.

He told the court this was done to “achieve a dead leg effect” so he could arrest Mr Boukhari.