A Metropolitan Police officer acquitted of grabbing a woman’s arm and arresting her for fare evasion is still facing the sack over his “use of force”.
PC Perry Lathwood, 51, had initially been found guilty of common assault at Westminster Magistrates’ Court over the incident in Whitehorse Road, Croydon, south London on July 21, 2023.
At Southwark Crown Court last September, his appeal against the conviction and £1,500 fine was upheld.
Footage of officers grabbing hold of Jocelyn Agyemang, who was with her young son, had been widely shared on social media. She was found to have paid her fare and de-arrested during a a joint revenue protection operation with Transport for London.
PC Lathwood – who remains on restricted duties – will now face a two-day gross misconduct hearing starting on October 13.
A notice of the disciplinary alleges he “detained the female, used force against her, engaged in conversation using inappropriate language and arrested her”.
It adds: “There was no lawful basis for the use of force.”
It is claimed his conduct also breached standards of professional behaviour relating to authority, respect, courtesy and equality and diversity.
At the time of his appeal, the rank-and-file Met Police Federation said it was pleased “justice has been done”, calling the earlier conviction an “erroneous and perverse judgement”.
Independent Office for Police Conduct regional director Mel Palmer, who led the investigation, added: “This was a high-profile incident that caused significant concern, particularly in the Croydon community, after footage of the incident was published online.”
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe added: “I recognise that this incident has divided opinions.
“The impact it had, particularly on black communities in Croydon and further afield, was significant.
“However, PC Lathwood has now been cleared by the criminal courts and that decision must be respected.
“We accept this incident was not handled perfectly and there is valuable learning to be taken from it.
“However we believe that could have been done through police misconduct mechanisms, not the courts.
“Officers do not shy away from scrutiny and recognise the importance of independent oversight.
“We will continue to push for a system of police accountability that officers can have confidence in – one which properly recognises the very challenging role they perform and the requirement on them to make fast decisions under pressure.”
