POLICE have been ordered to discipline a dog handler whose alsatian savaged a father-of-two during a pub fracas.
Pc David Smedley, 45, from Offerton, Stockport, was cleared last year of attacking Chris Perkins with his police dog.
The officer insisted at his trial that he had acted properly and intended to arrest Mr Perkins for allegedly grabbing another officer when trouble broke out at the Crown Inn, Bredbury, Stockport, three years ago.
But the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which reviewed the case, said it had "directed" Greater Manchester Police to take disciplinary proceedings against the dog handler.
Mr Perkins, 56, of Stockport Road East, Bredbury, who is suing GMP, was charged over the incident but cleared at court before Crown lawyers decided to prosecute Pc Smedley.
The former window cleaner said: "I think he should be sacked for what he did to me. He let that dog chew my arm right up to the shoulder. It's left me partially disabled. I can't drive a car. I can't go fishing. I can't play golf."
He said he had nothing to do with the pub brawl and likened the incident to a "shark attack".
He suffered a broken bone in his left hand, six puncture wounds on his wrist and had a six-inch by three-inch chunk of muscle ripped from his forearm.
'Unreasonable force'
The wounds, despite skin grafts and plastic surgery, remain visible.
Last year a jury at Bolton Crown Court heard Mr Perkins suffered the injuries after Pc Smedley's dog, Cracker, bit him for up to 60 seconds during a disturbance outside the Crown Inn in March, 2003.
Pc Smedley, who had previously been awarded a chief constable's commendation and a chief superintendent's commendation for "considerable personal bravery and service to the public", was accused of releasing the dog to disperse a crowd.
The Crown alleged it was an unnecessary act of unreasonable force.
Mr Perkins told the court that he was speaking to an officer who had arrested a woman outside the pub when the dog bit him. He said he was dragged into the middle of the road and was scarred for life.
But Pc Smedley said that after shouting a number of warnings, he deployed the dog on a lead to protect a police officer Mr Perkins had allegedly grabbed by his stab vest.
Pc Smedley, a police officer for 27 years has been a dog handler for seven years.
He was also found not guilty of a second charge of assault after a woman alleged he kicked her in the disturbance.
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mr perkins was not cleared at court because he was never taken to court, the cps deemed it not in anyones interest to take him to court. if you interfere with the police during an arrest you deserve whatever happens to you, it is about time the police were allowed to do their job without the interfernce of people like perkins.
This is a joke. Does anyone really think that a trained Police dog handler with this kind of previous good work character is suddenly going to risk his career and pension just to "get one over" on some drunk! This is not unreasonable force if the guy ignored the warnings in the first place.
I cannot believe that this situation has not been put to rest. PC Smedley was cleared by Judge and Jury. Didn't the CPS originally throw this out? Why not spend our money on REAL criminals instead of prosecuting and victimising the people who try to do their job but are held back by people who have probably never been a PC but have come in at a higher level and have no idea what it is like to patrol the streets with the idiots that are out there!!!!
I am in agreement with the other comments so far, This incident has already been settled. If you are going to obstruct the police what do you expect!!
Ridiculous
If a Crown Court Judge and a Jury with the full evidence before them deemed PC Smedley be found Not Guilty on two charges that is good enough for most law abiding citizens. It is indicative of those who choose to ignore the law that they cannot accept the facts. An experienced police dog handler and trained dog doing the job correctly should not be persecuted further. Mr.Perkins suffered undoubtedly but must look to his own behaviour and that of others at the incident who think public brawling and interfering with an arrest acceptable. I doubt Mr. Perkins would have been so foolish as to antagonise "a shark". He seems to want an eye for an eye and as a wiser person once declared an eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind. We need to support those police in the front line who have an unenviable job to do for us all.