Met Police officer fined for assaulting woman during wrongful bus fare arrest has conviction overturned
13 September 2024, 15:29
A Metropolitan Police officer who was fined £1,500 for assault after wrongly arresting a woman for not paying a bus fare evasion has had his conviction overturned.
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PC Perry Lathwood had been found guilty of assaulting the woman who had been travelling on a bus in Croydon, south London, with her son in July 2023.
After being convicted in May this year and sentenced in June, Mr Lathwood appealed against the decision and the conviction was quashed at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said.
The trial of the officer, at Westminster Magistrates' Court, was told that he grabbed the woman by the arm, causing bruising injuries during the arrest.
Jocelyn Agyemang was dropping the boy at her mother's house at the time when officers were helping ticket inspectors.
After Ms Agyemang got off the bus, she was asked to show she had paid and she said she told the inspector to walk with her as she was in a hurry.
Mr Lathwood, from East Sussex, grabbed her arm to stop her and the trial was told he caused bruises during the arrest - which also saw her handcuffed.
A video of the incident was widely shared on social media at the time, which was shown at the trial.
It recorded Ms Agyemang saying: "Can you get off me, please? Can you get off my arm? You don't understand, I have done nothing wrong."
Mr Lathwood kept holding her and demanded she tapped her Oyster card before another officer took the card and confirmed payment had been made meaning Ms Agyemang's handcuffs were removed and she was de-arrested.
Following the overturned conviction, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: "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.”
Mr Lathwood remains on restricted duties pending the outcome of the misconduct process.
Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram, who had sentenced the officer, said at the time that Mr Lathwood had "crossed the line and got it wrong" but "it was not through bad faith".
"In my judgement he made a momentary error of judgement as it were in the heat of the moment," he said.
