A police officer told a misconduct hearing he punched a man twice in a Bristol city centre bar because he thought his girlfriend was being "sexually assaulted" on the dancefloor.

PC Jedd Perry, who was off-duty on a work night out in August 2021, said he used reasonable force to stop the unwanted advances as the man laid his hand on PC Jennifer Daly's lower back in the Green House night spot.

He admitted that in hindsight there were better options, such as asking him to stop or informing the bouncers, but he told the panel he had needed to do something urgently to "stop the situation escalating" and stood by his split-second decision at the time.

PC Perry, who was then 21 and had been with Avon & Somerset Police less than 18 months, also accepted making a discriminatory comment 12 days earlier in his flat to a female colleague of Romanian heritage at the end of a previous social evening out with fellow officers.

But he told day three of the hearing at force headquarters in Portishead on Thursday (November 3) he had intended no harm and that it was an ill-judged joke to try to break the tension following a row he had with her a few minutes earlier over which alcoholic drink she could have.

Bristol-based PC Perry, who followed his dad into the police service, denies an allegation of using the phrase "Why don't you go back to your own country" or similar racist words.

He told the panel that the female constable, a friend, was about to open a gin bottle but he did not want her to because he was saving it as it was a nice brand and their argument became "heated".

When his colleague said she was booking an Uber to go home, he said he told her "It's a long Uber back to Romania" but insisted he was referring to the distance rather than an offensive slur and that she had spoken fondly of the country as "home".

He told the hearing: "I didn't mean it to come across in a racial way, I was just trying to say a joke to calm things down and make light of the situation that had just happened.

"I have never said anything like that before.

"Even as a joke, something like that should not be said and I wish I had not said it."

The officer texted her the next morning to apologise.

Speaking about the Green House incident, PC Perry said: "I believed the man was assaulting Jen so I walked over and struck him twice.

"He had his hand on her lower back, just above her bum, and I knew it was unwanted contact.

"I felt it was necessary to defend Jen from any further assault.

"I believed he was a threat to Jen, I had an honest belief he was sexually assaulting her.

"I punched him twice with enough force to make him stop and move away."

Barrister George Thomas, representing the force, said the CCTV footage showed PC Perry having to be pulled back by his workmates while "bouncing on his toes like a boxer" to try to get to the man again, a claim the constable denied.

Mr Thomas told him: "You didn't do it to protect PC Daly, you moved in because he was moving in on your girl.

"The punches you threw inside the bar were nothing more than unprovoked drunken violence."

The officer said: "No, I disagree. I still stand by what I did, I still believe I had a lawful reason to go over and prevent that.

"Looking back I know there were different avenues I could have taken to prevent further assault."

After PC Daly took him outside onto College Green, the man ran up to PC Perry and punched him, cutting his eyebrow, and the pair traded blows, with the female constable suffering a punch by accident, leaving her with a sore head for two weeks.

PC Perry, who is accused of leaving the scene and failing to return to speak to attending officers, said he was sat on a wall nearby and was happy to talk to on-duty police but they did not go over to him.

"My colleagues were going back and forth to the officers explaining what had happened, so in my head it was their decision not to come to speak to me," he said.

He denied Mr Thomas's claim that he was trying to keep a low profile because he could get into trouble or be arrested.

PC Perry, who is suspended from duty, admits two counts of misconduct but denies either amounts to gross misconduct.

The officer is alleged to have breached the standards of professional behaviour for police officers in terms of honesty and integrity; authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity; discreditable conduct; and duties and responsibilities.

The hearing is set to conclude today (Friday, November 4).