Police officers smashed OAP's car windows and dragged him out after he was stopped for not wearing seatbelt

A disabled pensioner spotted driving without a seatbelt had his side window smashed and windscreen kicked by police who pulled him over. Robert Clive Whatley, 70, a stroke sufferer, was showered with glass when officers from Gwent Police surrounded his Range Rover on a country lane following a 17-minute chase. Footage captured on a police dashboard camera showed one officer hit Whatley’s window up to 15 times with an "asp" baton, and another jumping onto the bonnet to kick the windscreen until it cracked. Gwent Police said it had "great concerns" when it learnt of the incident, and promised a thorough investigation. It added that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was looking into the matter.

Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court heard the early evening incident was sparked when Whatley drove off as an officer tried to give him a fixed penalty notice in Cwmbran last September. Whatley, of Ash Street, Usk, admitted not wearing his seatbelt when first seen, but claimed he had been reversing at the time. The court heard that as the officer went round to the passenger side the car lurched forward and the officer alleged he was knocked – a claim disputed by Whatley. He told the court he subsequently drove off because he thought he had been dealt with and was in need of his medication for a heart condition and stroke.



Describing himself as frail and vulnerable, he said: "I feel on health grounds I was justified. I was displaying my medication needs and [the officer] was ignoring me. My survival instinct was such was that I was trying to assist the officer the best I could. I feared another stroke. I thought he had finished with me. I just drove off cooly and calmly and not off at speed." Whatley, who never broke the speed limit during the 17-minute chase, said he had become confused during the pursuit. He said he thought that the blue lights and siren of the pursuing car meant the officer was giving him a police escort home. But he finally pulled over when he was confronted by a police "stinger" device on the road into Usk. It was at this point that he claims officers used disproportionate force to get him out of the car and arrest him. The court heard claims from a police officer, however, that it was Whatley who had been aggressive.

At the end of the two-day trial Whatley was found guilty of not wearing a seatbelt, of failing to stop for a police officer and having tinted car windows that did not conform to legal requirements. He had denied these charges. He was cleared of failing to stop after an accident. He admitted having a registration plate which didn’t adhere to regulations and was fined a total of £235 and ordered to pay £300 towards prosecution costs. Whatley has since made a complaint to Gwent Police and the IPCC, which is carrying out an investigation into the allegations. After the case Gwent Police issued a statement saying two officers had been removed from operational duty and that the IPCC will now resume its investigation.