Two police officers have been warned they face jail after one assaulted a teenager they had arrested – and the other stood and watched.

Amy Keigher was put at risk of suffocating by Pc Jason Hanvey, 37, of Dukinfield, who held her face down in a painful restraint position and told her ‘move and I’ll rip your f***ing skull off’.

The position, Manchester Crown Court heard, put Miss Keigher at risk of suffocating.

Sgt Andrew Kennedy, 51, of Atherton, was in charge of the custody office during the incident at Collyhurst police station on October 30 2008, but failed to step in and help the youngster, then, 18, because he did not want to ‘undermine’ Pc Hanvey.
 
The two officers denied misconduct in public office in a three-week trial.

But today at Manchester Crown Court the jury of six women and six men rejected the officers’ claim that the girl was a threat to the safety of staff and found them guilty of mistreating the youngster, who had been arrested for an assault in the city centre.
 
Two other officers were cleared of misconduct in public office in relation to Miss Keigher, Pc Kenneth Wilson, 41, of Newton-le-Willows and Pc Kerry Williams, 24, of Brooklands, Sale.
 
PCs Wilson and Williams plus civilian detention officer Kristina Hawkins, 37, of Droylsden  were also cleared of mistreating Miss Keigher’s friend Jamie Lee Hall, arrested and restrained on the same night.
 
Sgt Kennedy was also cleared of misconduct in public office in relation to Miss Hall.
 
Damning CCTV footage showed Miss Keigher squealing in pain as she was held face down with her arms in the air for a minute-and-a-half.
 
Sgt Kennedy also failed to inform her of her rights to free independent legal advice and her right to inform someone where she was.
 
When she asked for a phone call he refused – telling court he did not think anyone would be concerned for her and that he did not want her waking anyone up at 2am.
 
Judge Anthony Gee QC told the pair: “You have brought shame onto yourself and on the uniform you were privileged to wear.
 
“No right-thinking person watching that CCTV recording of what happened in the charge office so far as the 18-year-old Miss Keigher is concerned can be anything other than appalled at the way she was treated.

“You must expect a custodial sentence. This case is so serious as to clearly pass the custody threshold.”

The officers will be sentenced on April 8.