A jury has found Fareham security guards not guilty of false imprisonment and the assault of a 15-year-old boy in a Superdrug store.

Edwin Hirst, 40, from Fareham and Jake De-Geus, 30, from Chichester, were accused of using unreasonable force while detaining the teenager during the incident in the Chichester shop on March 22, 2023.

Both defendants were also accused of assault by beating.

READ MORE: Fareham security guard accused of 'unjustified' force in Superdrug

The prosecution alleged that Mr De-Geus head-butted the teenager and they had both used unnecessary force to detain him, including the use of handcuffs.

But the jury cleared the defendants of both charges, having already acquitted Hirst of a charge of assault against another teenager on the direction of the judge.

The two defendants told the court that they had decided to stay close to three teenage boys after they entered the shop because they were making ‘silly’ comments.

After the 15-year-old placed a bottle of shampoo into the pocket of one of his friends, Mr De-Geus said he had asked him to leave the shop.

The teenager then became ‘angry and aggressive’ and Mr Hirst told the court that he saw the boy head-butt his colleague.

READ MORE: Security guard accused of beating teen in Superdrug speaks

Hirst said that restraining him was done with “reasonable force, in a controlled manner” and said: “I informed him he had to calm down and co-operate or handcuffs will be applied.”

“He was still escalating, he was trying to kick out at me, he was still screaming, making threats. For my safety I put my leg over so he couldn’t kick me.”

Mr Hirst added that the teen threatened him by saying: “Turn me around so I can spit in your face.”

Mr Hirst said that while restraining the boy, the two friends became involved and said he was punched and kicked in the head.

The 15-year-old told the court that he had only “jokingly” placed the shampoo in his friend’s pocket and said that Mr De-Geus then “squared up to him” before “he threw me into one of the aisles”.

The court heard that the boy’s mother had posted a video of the incident on social media and that the boy had been banned from the Sports Direct shop and Greggs store in Chichester for stealing.