A police officer based in Dundee is to stand trial accused of assaulting and injuring a teenager.
PC Darren Moore, a serving officer in Tayside Division, is alleged to have carried out the attack on the 13-year-old boy on a footpath at Donald’s Lane, near Greenlee Drive, earlier this year.
Moore, 40, is said to have “forcefully” pressed his head to the head of the teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, before pushing him on the body and causing him to fall to the ground.
He then allegedly struck the child on the face.
Prosecutors allege that the assault led to the child being injured – a potentially aggravating factor if the case leads to a conviction.
He has formally denied the allegations, entering a plea of not guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court.
The incident is alleged to have occurred on March 28 this year. It is not known whether the alleged incident occurred while the officer was on duty.
Moore is understood to have been referred to the Police Professional Standards department within Police Scotland’s Tayside divisional headquarters in relation to the allegations.
Police Scotland has declined to comment on the investigation, citing the ongoing criminal proceedings.
The constable did not appear in person at Dundee Sheriff Court when his case was called on Friday.
Instead, prosecutors produced a letter sent on his behalf by his solicitors – in which he tendered a not guilty plea to the charge libelled.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond fixed a trial date for April 28 next year, with an intermediate diet on April 7. Moore was ordained to appear at both hearings.
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