A POLICE officer accused of punching a suspect in a fit of temper and then persuading a colleague to lie for him is facing a retrial.
PC Alex Collins, aged 29, was on trial at the Old Bailey, accused of common assault, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in a public office.
It was alleged PC Collins had repeatedly punched Tarnjit Bhandal in the face following an incident outside the 42nd Street Bar in Bexleyheath Broadway, on September 6 last year.
PC Collins, based at Bexleyheath police station at the time, is also alleged to have persuaded PC Mark Burrows to fabricate details of Mr Bhandal's arrest for affray.
Collins denied asking PC Burrows to lie or that he had assaulted Mr Bhandal, claiming he had been trying to "disable" a drunken wedding guest.
But the jury was discharged after failing to reach any verdicts. A retrial has been fixed for May 5.
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