Two Met Police officers fired for beating up child who spat in their faces and lying about it afterwards
11 May 2023, 13:35
Two Metropolitan Police officers have been sacked without notice for punching and kicking a teenage boy during an arrest, and then lying about it afterwards.
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Police constables Alexei Zalesskiy and Conor Ryan were found to have breached police standards of professional behaviour for use of force and honesty and integrity during the incident in Finsbury Park in April 2021.
The officers were called to reports of a fight in the park where a knife had been seen. They used stop and search powers to look for the knife on the young people gathered at the scene, but didn't find anything.
They tried to disperse the crowd, pushing some of the young people away.
A 14-year-old boy in the group got upset at being pushed and spat in the face of one of the officers.
PC Zalesskiy then punched the boy at least once, and PC Ryan kicked him in the neck and head area and struck him in the thigh with his knee.
He then ran from the officers who chased him on foot to arrest him for assaulting an officer.
The boy was detained on Wilberforce Road, to the south of the park.
He was placed in handcuffs and arrested on suspicion of assault on an emergency worker and a public order offence.
The boy was not charged and no further action was taken.
A five-month investigation by watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found evidence the officers also lied in their statements immediately following the incident.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: "The force used on this child was neither reasonable nor proportionate in the circumstances.
"The public must have confidence that when officers are required to use force to detain and arrest members of the public, they will only use the minimum amount of force necessary.
"To compound matters, they then tried to justify their actions by lying on their initial statements following the incident.
"Their dismissals send a strong message that there will be serious consequences for police officers who use gratuitous violence and are dishonest about their actions.
"Both officers will also be added to the police barred list, preventing them from future employment with any police service."
The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to authorise criminal charges against the officers but a disciplinary hearing found allegations of gross misconduct were proven, the watchdog added
