A RETIRED police sergeant was cleared of attacking a prisoner from Arran in a cell.

Ian Clarke, who was an officer for 27 years, was accused of assaulting Michael Higgins within a cell at Paisley’s Mill Street police office.

One of Clarke’s old work mates said she saw him kicking Higgins “with enough force to open a locked door”.

Clarke, 50, admitted striking Higgins, 48, in the chest with his foot whilst on duty.

But he denied assaulting him by kicking him with such force that he caused him to hit a wall and fall on to a bed.

He claimed he pushed Higgins over with his foot to save his life – as he believed the prisoner was trying to strangle himself.

Clarke was charged following his interaction with Higgins at the Renfrewshire police station on April 18, 2014.

Higgins, a plumbing and heating worker from Lamlash, was at Glasgow Airport with his wife and was due to jet off on holiday.

But he was arrested after having a few drinks at the airport and was taken to the police station.

Higgins was concerned his wife had been left stranded at the airport after having a few glasses of wine, whilst under the influence of prescription diazepam to calm her down before flying.

He said: “I kept on asking where my wife was because she was on medication.

“They were just telling me to be quiet all the time. I started doing stupid things in a bid to get their attention. I put clothing round my neck as if I was strangling myself.”

Clarke entered his cell and pushed him off balance, took the jumper off him and moved him to another cell, where he could be observed.

In the second cell, Higgins wrapped his t-shirt round his neck, sat on the end of the bed, put his head down and his hands round his throat – jamming his elbows between his knees to keep pressure on his neck, with his arms crossed over his chest.

Believing Higgins was trying to kill himself, Clarke and some colleagues stormed his cell and restrained him.

Higgins later told police he’d been assaulted and said: “The first [officer] ran towards me and kicked me on the chest with the sole of his foot.

“As a result of the kick I fell back against the wall and down on to the bed.

“All three then pinned me down and stripped me, they put straps on my arms and legs and then they put a cover over me.”

Giving evidence, Clarke said: “The main thing for me was his face was turning bright red and he wasn’t breathing.”

Sheriff David Pender said there was “fairly damning evidence” against Clarke but found him not guilty, saying he accepted Clarke had acted “with the intention of preventing Mr Higgins to harm himself”.

Outside court, Clarke said: “I’m just shocked and gutted by the way my colleagues behaved towards me.”