Police officer jailed for slapping a handcuffed, kneeling boy

A court has ordered two months detention for a police officer who slapped a 14-year-old boy across the face while he was kneeling and handcuffed.

In a strongly-worded judgment, Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech described the officer as a "despicable character" who had behaved like an aggressive and arrogant bully who ignored the law and brought the police force in disrepute.  

Officer Kurt Jenkins joined the police force in 2018 and was stationed at the Rapid Intervention Unit. He was accused of assault and uttering insults or threats. The charges were aggravated by the fact that he is a public official.

The case took place on January 5, 2025, when a 14-year-old boy was arrested in Paceville at about 12.30am.

Bodycam footage proved to be crucial in the case, recording the accused slapping the boy across the face when the latter had already been handcuffed and was kneeling.

The court said that the police force's decision to start using bodycams was a positive development, not only for the officers themselves but also for those who come in contact with the officers.

In this case, the court established that the boy tried to flee the scene but was caught and arrested. Jenkins arrived when the boy had already been handcuffed. He could be heard telling another constable to tighten the handcuffs further so that the boy would not escape again.

While the boy was on the ground, Jenkins was recorded on camera slapping him across his face. The boy could be heard saying: “Why are you hurting me? Now that you’ve caught me. I did nothing wrong.”

As Jenkins hit the boy, the latter could be heard apologising and begging to call his mother.

Describing Jenkins as a “despicable character” the court said it had also taken  into consideration another conversation recorded on the bodycam where Jenkins asked the boy for his age and after the victim told him that he was 14, the officer replied “Oohh so old. Are you a man now? Has your pubic hair started to grow?” to which the child replied: “You’ve slapped me. You should not have done so.”

The court condemned the shocking behaviour committed by a person entrusted to enforce the law.

In its considerations on punishment, the court said it had considered the circumstances of the case, and the officer’s clean criminal record.

But it pointed out that in the footage, Jenkins was seen behaving like an aggressive and arrogant bully, who ignored the law which he had sworn to enforce.

“Jenkins is a person with animalistic behaviour, a coward and a show-off, who is capable of bullying a little boy, lying on the floor and handcuffed,” the court said, adding that officers like him were an insult to the police force and brought it into disrepute.

Since he was charged with contraventions, the court ordered that he be detained for two months.