Police used 'reasonable' force in the arrest of Sex Education star, watchdog finds
15 May 2025, 13:00
The use of force by officers to arrest Sex Education star Reece Richards after he was mistaken for a suspect “was reasonable in the circumstances”, the police watchdog has found.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Reece Richards, who played Eugene in Sex Education, accused the Met police of ‘racially profiling him’ during the late-night incident.
Richards was a bystander and witness to a car crash, with police pursuing three men who fled near his home.
He said police mistook him for one of the suspects and he was arrested.
The actor claimed he had been sprayed with an incapacitating liquid and was thrown to the ground and kicked by officers when he was arrested in Fulham, west London, in September last year.
Read more: Suitcase remains trial collapses as jury in murder case discharged
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said an investigation had found “no indication that any officers acted in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or had committed a criminal offence”.
The watchdog also did not uphold a complaint by Richards that he was treated in a discriminatory manner because he was black.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “I want to acknowledge the impact that this incident has had on Reece Richards. He was an innocent bystander and this would have been a frightening experience.“Mr Richards’ complaint detailed his understandable belief that he was detained and arrested because he was black, although the suspects were white.
“We found that officers were responding to a fast-moving incident and – given the only description of the suspects was that one was wearing dark clothing and their location – it was reasonable that the officer who saw Mr Richards and detained him thought he was a suspect.
“The evidence indicated that the officers’ use of force was reasonable in the circumstances they encountered and perceived and Mr Richards was de-arrested as soon officers confirmed he was not involved.”
