A shoplifter pinned to a wall by the throat and repeatedly punched in the face by policemen has spoken of his disgust after watching shocking footage of his ordeal.

The video of Jack Harbour being forcefully restrained by three officers while he was in a back room of Debenhams in Canterbury emerged yesterday.

During the four-minute clip, one of the officers is seen punching Harbour in the face twice - the second blow causing him to collapse.

Astonishingly, it was Harbour who was then charged with assault.

But the charge was dropped this week after an official complaint was made, prompting Kent Police to suspend the three officers involved.

Speaking from his home in Murston, Sittingbourne, Harbour said: "I'm quite shocked to see the video.

"It's wound me up. If it was the other way around and I'd punched them, I'd be doing two to three years now.

"The police are there to protect you. I don't think it's enough that they've been suspended. They should get the sack and be punished."

The 23-year-old said he was out drinking in Canterbury city centre when he encountered the officers in the High Street department store.

He says he was bundled into the side room after he snorted up phlegm in front of them, but insists he did not spit at them.

Harbour added: "I don't remember much because I was gattered at the time, but I woke up with a black eye and swelling. It's out of order really."

The video, which is believed to have been taken from the store's CCTV footage, shows Mr Harbour being searched by two officers.

"If it was the other way around and I'd punched them, I'd be doing two to three years now..." - shoplifter Jack Harbour

A third then appears and the trio are seen restraining him by grabbing him around the throat while pinning him to a wall.

One of the officers is then seen to raise his fist to Harbour, before speaking into his police radio.

Moments later, the same officer is shown punching the suspect twice in the face.

The officers then huddle over Harbour for about 50 seconds, before pulling him onto his feet and handcuffing him.

The clip ends with Harbour sitting down and the officers standing over him.

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The footage was uploaded to YouTube after the incident in July and has been viewed thousands of times.

It is not clear who lodged the complaint about the officers with Kent Police.

The case was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission in October, but it was decided it was suitable for Kent Police to investigate.

Force spokesman Jon Green said: "Kent Police is investigating following an allegation of assault in Canterbury on July 11, 2013.

"Three police officers from east division were suspended from duty on Thursday, October 24 pending the outcome of this inquiry."

The officers are understood to have been interviewed under caution, but not arrested.

The case is now with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Although the assault case against Harbour was dropped, he was found to be concealing two bottles of perfume and charged with shoplifting.

Harbour appeared at Canterbury Magistrates' Court on Monday, when he was sentenced to 60 hours of unpaid work and a one-year supervision order.

He was spotted taking the items, worth a total of £100, in the store by a member of the public who reported him to store staff. Police were then called.

A spokesman for the department store chain could not comment further "while an investigation is ongoing".

Video: Officers restrain shoplifter Jack Harbour in Canterbury

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