Driver punched and wrestled to the ground by police officer in 'road rage' attack wins £100k payout

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

A driver who was punched and wrestled to the ground by a police inspector in front of his horrified wife has won a £100,000 payout.
Jonathan Mellor, who had over 30 years' police service, pushed tree surgeon Shane Price to the floor before punching him in the face and stamping on his foot in a 'road rage' row on May 26, 2021.
Mr Price said the confrontation, which happened on the side of the A46 between Newark and Lincoln, had left him in pain and 'mentally traumatised'. The tree surgeon also had his legal costs covered as well as compensation, the BBC reported.
The retired Lincolnshire Police officer was cleared of common assault in May 2022, however a two-day disciplinary hearing found him guilty of gross misconduct at the beginning of this year.
Mr Mellor was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour relating to use of force, discreditable conduct and authority, respect and courtesy, with the panel saying he would have been dismissed had he not already retired.
The former cop told the misconduct hearing that he punched the tree surgeon as a 'distraction technique' before he pinned him to the floor whilst on duty, repeatedly stating that he stood by his actions. He believed it was an appropriate use of force.
Footage of the six-minute confrontation, filmed by Mrs Price, showed the two men talking before her husband gestured to Mr Mellor to pull over on the side of the road.
After they alighted from their cars, the police officer, who was wearing black civilian jacket over his uniform, was seen pushing the tree surgeon towards a fence on a grassy verge.
The inspector, who had over 30 years' police service, was found guilty of gross misconduct after a two-day disciplinary hearing
Mrs Price then lowered her side window in order to hear their conversation, where her husband is heard accusing the inspector – who he alleged did not identify himself as a police officer.
Further video showed the officer, punch Mr Price to the head and stamp on his 'injured' foot, before the pair begin grappling and Mr Price was pinned to the ground.
The ex-police officer was also heard instructing the tree surgeon to stay still, while threatening to 'put [Mr Price] down'.
During misconduct hearing at Lincoln's Bishop Grosseteste University, it was heard that Mr Price believed the officer had taken a picture of him on his phone while driving.
Mr Mellor claimed he acted in such a way to 'create a space where I'm in control of him and out the way of traffic'.
He also added if he had punched Mr Price with his 'full force' that he 'would have knocked him out', while later denying he was the aggressor or the offender.
Following his acquittal at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, three years ago, Lincolnshire Police announced Mr Mellor would not face any misconduct proceedings.
But the panel heard the case had been reopened as the complainant had appealed the decision.
They concluded Mellor's threatening behaviour and strong language to be 'entirely unjustified' and the use of force could have been 'easily avoided'.
They also the former police officer's actions were 'entirely unnecessary, unreasonable and disproportionate', and there was no reason for Mr Price to be restrained on the ground.
They rejected claims of self defence, adding Mr Mellor's conduct was likely to undermine public confidence in the police service.
Allegations that Mr Price was aggressive toward the former police officer as well as claims Mr Mellor was trying to protect him from stepping onto the dual carriageway were also dismissed.
Jennifer Ferrario, the legally qualified chair of the independent misconduct panel, found the breaches of standards proven and that this amounted to gross misconduct.
She also added that Mr Mellor had offered no apology, and showed 'no evidence of accountability'.
She said Mr Mellor would have been dismissed without notice if he had not already retired.
Lincolnshire Police Force confirmed the amount, but declined to make any further comment.