A MET Police officer has been found guilty of assaulting a mum who was wrongly arrested over a bus fare.
Footage of Jocelyn Agyemang struggling in handcuffs in front of her sobbing son drew widespread criticism online after it went viral last year.
In the clip Pc Perry Lathwood could be seen holding the mum’s arm while she shrieks “get off me” as crowds gather on the Croydon, South London street.
Jocelyn had been arrested as police accused her of not paying for a bus fare, but a quick swipe of her card proved she had – and saw her free to walk away.
But footage of the arrest started circulating online, and the police watchdog launched an investigation.
In October, three months after the wrongful arrest, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Pc Lathwood was being probed for potential gross misconduct.
The 50-year-old, from Norman’s Bay, East Sussex was today found guilty of assault in the Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
On July 21 last year Jocelyn was dropping her son off at her mum’s house as she had an appointment in Marylebone.
The court heard how Met Police officers were helping ticket inspectors in Croydon, and Jocelyn was asked to prove she’d paid her fare as she jumped off the bus.
She refused, and Lathwood grabbed her.
In court today, 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 continued: “She was difficult… but there were not reasonable grounds to suggest arrest was necessary.
“The officer made an error of judgment and overreacted. Handcuffing inflamed the situation even further.”
Paul Jarvis, prosecuting, told the court Lathwood put a hand on the woman, but she moved away, so he then grabbed her arm and arrested her for fare evasion.
He explained that it was then that a crowd gathered, as the PC demanded Joceyln tap her Oyster card – and handcuffed her.
It was then that another officer took the mum’s card, tapped it and found she had in fact paid for her bus trip.
The officer made an error of judgment and overreacted. Handcuffing inflamed the situation even further.
Judge
Jocelyn was left with bruising on her arm and said she felt “very violated”.
She told the court: “I just felt like they did not care.
“I just felt a bit degraded because I had not done anything wrong.”
Lathwood, who wore a blue checked suit in the dock, showed no emotion as the judge handed him his verdict.
He will be sentenced on June 14.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the verdict presented a “huge setback to our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners”.
He continued: “We will learn the lessons from this and we apologise to the woman and the wider community who were deeply affected.
I just felt a bit degraded because I had not done anything wrong.
Jocelyn Agyemang
“Anyone who has seen the footage of this incident will be upset by how it escalated into a traumatic situation for a mother and her child.
“Since this incident happened, we have stopped our involvement in supporting Transport for London fare evasion operations, but we continue our presence on the bus network tackling violent crime.”
Scotland Yard said it did not intend to consider an accelerated misconduct hearing for the officer.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “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 police watchdog said it will now liaise with the force to progress disciplinary proceedings for the officer.
