Two Met Police officers who punched and kicked a 14-year-old boy during his arrest and lied about thinking the child would spit at one of them a second time are dismissed from the force
- PC Alexei Zalesskiy and PC Conor Ryan were found to have used excessive force
- They were called to reports of fight in Finsbury Park, north London, in April 2021
Two Metropolitan Police officers have been sacked after punching and kicking a 14-year-old boy during an arrest – before lying about the incident in their statements.
Alexei Zalesskiy and Conor Ryan were found to have used excessive force on the child after being called to reports of a fight involving a knife at Finsbury Park, north London, in April 2021.
The child was part of a group of young people who were stopped by officers, though no knife was found following a number of stop and searches, a misconduct hearing was told.
During earlier attempts to disperse the group, one boy became agitated at being pushed by police officers. He began shouting and spat an an officer’s face.
The boy then ran from police, who gave chase on foot before arresting him on suspicion of assaulting an officer and a public order offence after catching him in Wilberforce Road.
Alexei Zalesskiy and Conor Zalesskiywere found to have used excessive force on the 14-year-old child
During the arrest, PC Zalesskiy punched the teenager at least once, while PC Ryan kicked him in the ‘neck/head area’ and struck him in the thigh with his knee.
An investigation launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct found the two officers had then lied in statements given following the incident.
They claimed they had used the physical force because they believed the boy was going to spit at PC Zalesskiy for a second time.
The boy was not charged and no further action was taken.
The IOPC’s five-month probe was launched following a voluntary referral from the Met.
It found both officers had a case to answer for gross misconduct and an indication they may have committed an offence of assault by beating.
PC Zalesskiy and PC Ryan have both been dismissed following a gross misconduct meeting.
A panel found the officers had breached police standards of professional behaviour for use of force and honesty and integrity.
The IOPC passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, but no charges have been authorised.
A panel found the officers had breached police standards of professional behaviour for use of force and honesty and integrity
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.’
Source: Read Full Article
