A federal jury in Louisiana on Wednesday acquitted a white state trooper charged with violating the civil rights of a Black motorist despite body-camera footage that showed the officer pummeling the man 18 times with a flashlight. The case of Jacob Brown was the first to emerge from a series of FBI investigations into troopers’ beatings of Black men during traffic stops in Louisiana and underscored the challenges prosecutors face convicting law enforcement officials accused of using excessive force. After a three-day trial in Monroe, jurors found Mr Brown not guilty of depriving Aaron Bowman of his civil rights during a 2019 beating that left Mr Bowman with a broken jaw, broken ribs and a gash to his head. Mr Brown, who defended the blows to investigators as “ pain compliance,” would have faced up to a decade in federal prison if convicted. Mr Brown’s defence attorney, Scott Wolleson, told The Associated Press he was grateful for the verdict. "The men and women of the jury recognized the risks law enforcement officers like Jacob Brown face on our behalf every day,” he said. Mr Bowman’s attorney, Ron Haley, said the acquittal “shows it’s incredibly hard to prove a civil rights violation in federal court.” He added that the attack had “fundamentally changed” Mr Bowman’s life. “He was low-hanging fruit for Jacob Brown,” Mr Haley said. “Because he’s looked at as just a drug user, he was treated like he wasn’t human.” The acquittal comes as federal prosecutors are still scrutinizing other Louisiana state troopers caught on body-camera video punching, stunning and dragging another Black motorist, Ronald Greene, before he died in their custody on a rural roadside. That federal probe is also examining whether police brass obstructed justice to protect the troopers who beat Greene following a high-speed chase. Body-camera footage of both the Bowman and Greene beatings, which took place less than three weeks and 20 miles apart, remained under wraps before the AP obtained and published the videos in 2021. The cases were among a dozen highlighted in an AP investigation that revealed a pattern of troopers and their bosses ignoring or concealing evidence of beatings, deflecting blame and impeding efforts to root out misconduct. State police didn’t investigate the MrBowman attack until 536 days after it occurred and only did so weeks after Mr Bowman brought a civil lawsuit. It ultimately determined Mr Brown “engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions," failed to report the use of force to his supervisors and “intentionally mislabeled” his body-camera video. The AP found Mr Brown, who patrolled in northern Louisiana, was involved in 23 use-of-force incidents between 2015 and his 2021 resignation — 19 of which targeted Black people. Mr Brown still faces state charges in the violent arrest of yet another Black motorist, a case in which he boasted in a group chat with other troopers that “it warms my heart knowing we could educate that young man.” In the wake of the AP's reporting, the US Justice Department last year opened a sweeping civil rights investigation into the state police that remains ongoing. On the night that Mr Bowman was pulled over for “improper lane usage,” Mr Brown came upon the scene after deputies had forcibly removed Mr Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground in the driveaway of his Monroe home. Video and police records show he beat Mr Bowman 18 times with a flashlight in 24 seconds. “I’m not resisting! I’m not resisting!” Mr Bowman can be heard screaming between blows. Mr Brown is the son of Bob Brown, a longtime trooper who oversaw statewide criminal investigations and, before retiring, was the agency’s chief of staff. The elder Mr Brown rose to the agency's second in command despite being reprimanded years earlier for calling Black colleagues the n-word and hanging a Confederate flag in his office.

Tens of thousands of British businesses are warned of the risk of having their innovation stolen.

Former vice president and 2024 candidate Mike Pence is capitalising on Donald Trump’s recent federal indictment by drawing positive attention to his own campaign with joking merchandise and snapping back at hecklers. While on the campaign trail in New Hampshire this past week, Mr Pence was confronted by a group of Mr Trump’s supporters who called him a “sellout” and “traitor” for refusing to falsely and unlawfully certify the 2020 election results in Mr Trump’s favor. “Why didn’t you uphold the Constitution?” one protester shouted at Mr Pence on Friday. Mr Pence notoriously refused to engage in Mr Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election which ultimately made him a target during the Capitol riots. The ex-vice president calmly turned to the group of Trump supporters and responded, “I upheld the constitution. Read it.” As Mr Pence pursues the White House, he has used Mr Trump’s attacks and actions in the weeks leading up to the insurrection to make himself appear to be a more honest and reliable presidential candidate. So much so, Mr Pence has even begun selling merchandise that directly quotes Mr Trump calling him “too honest” from the most recent federal indictment against the ex-president. The indictment, which was brought forth against Mr Trump on Tuesday, alleges that on 1 January 2021 Mr Trump tried to bully Mr Pence into joining his efforts to overturn the election. After Mr Pence refused to do so on the basis of it being improper Mr Trump allegedly told Mr Pence “You’re too honest.” Now, on Mr Pence’s campaign website, supporters can purchase hats and T-shirts with the phrase “Too honest”. The ex-vice president has pitched himself to Republican voters as a true conservative who can produce a more stable administration than Mr Trump. Though Mr Pence and Mr Trump worked closely together during the four years they were in office, Mr Pence has distanced himself from the ex-president. But the former vice president has seemingly had difficulty picking up traction in his campaign as his name is forever tied to Mr Trump and January 6th. Mr Pence has yet to qualify for the first Republican National Committee debate set to occur later this month – mainly due to a lack of fundraising. During his speech on Friday, Mr Pence tried to find common ground with protestors saying, “I’ll tell you there is a lot of passion out there.” “But I just – I reject your suggestion that that passion is translated into the violence and vandalism of that day,” he added. Read More Trump, January 6 and a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election: The federal investigation, explained Ron DeSantis says Trump’s claims of stolen 2020 election weren’t ‘true’

Now we know the full scope of the charges, it's clear how dramatic some of the accusations are.

The stunning removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker has left the House effectively paralyzed

Drake also seems to have taken a jibe at Rihanna's partner A$AP Rocky in his new album

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Vladivostok on Saturday where he was met by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to...

Six people were killed on Wednesday in clashes in Kenya between police and demonstrators who joined banned opposition protests against tax...

Three people have been arrested in a protest against negotiations between Spain’s acting government and Catalan separatist parties over a possible amnesty for thousands involved in Catalonia’s independence movement

Scot Peterson is accused of neglecting his training and taking no action as 17 people, including 14 students, were shot down

Former President Donald Trump and other GOP contenders tried to lay blame on the Biden administration after Hamas militants launched the deadliest attack on Israel in decades, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare the country at war

Jana Kramer, who is now expecting her first child with fiance Allan Russell, paid tribute to 'three special men' in her life