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Two police officers face a gross misconduct hearing following a complaint from a man arrested at a Darlington pub.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) - the police watchdog - launched a probe into the case after the incident, in which the man held was injured.

A police constable from Durham Constabulary, Daniel Reed, was cleared of a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he appeared at Sunderland Magistrates’ Court last September.

But the IOPC now say that PC Reed and former police sergeant, Gary O’Neill, should face disciplinary action for gross misconduct.

The 43-year-old man involved that night complained after treatment for injuries he received following his arrest, and the case was referred to the IOPC in November 2016.

An IOPC statement said: “After examining CCTV footage of the arrest and statements given by officers and members of the public who witnessed the incident, we referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“The CPS authorised the charge of assault causing actual bodily harm against PC Daniel Reed, who was an acting sergeant at the time the incident occurred. The case was heard at Sunderland Magistrates’ Court on 6 September 2017 and PC Reed was acquitted.

“Durham Constabulary has since agreed with our finding that PC Reed has a case to answer for gross misconduct in relation to the force he used during the man’s arrest.

“Durham also agreed that a former police sergeant, Gary O’Neill, who was present when the incident happened, has a case to answer for allegedly breaching the standards of professional behaviour.”

Durham Constabulary has not yet set a date for the gross misconduct hearing. The IOPC’s findings will be published when those proceedings are complete.

A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: “We can confirm that a hearing is to be held into allegations of misconduct made against a Durham police constable and a retired sergeant.

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment further ahead of that hearing.”