A Metropolitan police officer who manhandled a woman as she was arrested in front of her son on the false suspicion of fare evasion has been found guilty of assault.
PC Perry Lathwood was found guilty of assault by beating after a one-day trial at the City of London magistrates court last week.
The police officer grabbed Jocelyn Agyemang by the arm, causing bruising, during the arrest on 21 July last year in Whitehorse Road, Croydon. Agyemang was dropping her son off at her mother’s house before heading into central London for an appointment.
Police officers were helping ticket inspectors on a bus at the time. After Agyemang and her son got off the bus at about 11am, she was asked to show she had paid her fare by a bus inspector.
At Westminster magistrates court, the deputy senior district judge, Tan Ikram, ruled it was “not necessary” for Lathwood to “grab the woman’s arm, arrest her and handcuff her”. He said: “There were not reasonable grounds to suggest arrest was necessary. The officer made an error of judgment and overreacted. I find you guilty of assault.”
Lathwood, who is attached to the Metropolitan police’s road traffic policing command, will be sentenced at the same court on 14 June.
The prosecution resulted from an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which was itself prompted by a complaint made on Agyemang’s behalf being referred from Scotland Yard.
The police watchdog said it found that Lathwood grabbed Agyemang after she told a ticket inspector she was in a hurry when asked to produce her ticket. Body-worn camera footage showed the woman struggling and asking repeatedly for Lathwood to let go of her, before he and another officer handcuffed her.
It was only after her arrest that the officers established she had paid her fare.
The IOPC said Agyemang suffered pain in her wrists, her right arm, which was held by the officer, and shoulder, with bruising being noted by a doctor.
On the strength of the watchdog’s investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service decided to charge Lathwood with assault by beating.
The IOPC’s regional director, Mel Palmer, said: “Today, a judge has found that the use of force by PC Lathwood against the woman after her arrest – including the use of handcuffs and holding on to her arm – was unlawful and he has been convicted of assault.
“Any use of force by officers should be reasonable, proportionate and justifiable in the circumstances. This was a high-profile incident that caused significant concern, particularly in the Croydon community, after footage of the incident was published online.
“We carried out an independent and impartial investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident, including the actions of the police officers involved.
“The decision to refer a file of evidence to the CPS to consider criminal charges is not something we take lightly and this was done after careful consideration of the evidence, including liaison with the CPS.”
The watchdog said it would now “liaise with the force to progress disciplinary proceedings for the officer”.
