Met officers accused of assaulting innocent man feared he had weapon

Sgt Emily Joshi said she feared her "safety" during the incident

Two Met Police officers accused of assaulting a black man they mistook for a robbery suspect claim he was acting suspiciously, a court has heard.

Met officers Sgt Emily Joshi, 30, and PC Ozan Yelken, 33, deny assault by beating of Emmanuel Ugborokefe.

They claim he resisted being handcuffed and they feared he was carrying a weapon.

Mr Ugborokefe was waiting to collect a microwave while the officers were called to a Rolex robbery in Hendon.

• Rolex robbery accused feared death when arrested

• Met officers deny beating man after police stop

It is alleged the officers assaulted Mr Ugborokefe, who "felt discriminated against", while stopping him, in a case of mistaken identity, in Wykeham Road, Hendon, north-west London, on 28 December.

He was on Wykeham Road to collect a microwave he had bought on eBay, after a family shopping day with his wife and two daughters, then aged seven and eight, in Oxford Street, a trial at City of London Magistrates' Court heard.

Sgt Joshi, of Watford, and PC Yelken, of Waltham Abbey, Essex were called to reports of a Rolex robbery in which two suspects had ditched a car and fled on foot near Mr Ugborokefe's location.

Police were looking for two black males, wearing dark clothing with their hoods up, one of which had fur on the hood.

They approached Mr Ugborokefe - who all parties agree was innocent - who was wearing a dark-coloured jacket, which had fur on it, the judge heard.

Sgt Joshi handcuffed one of his wrists and explained he matched the description of a suspect.

A struggle ensued as he pleaded "don't handcuff me", raising his free hand up in the air, before Mr Yelken performed a "tactical take down" pushing him into a bush and then to the floor where he was fully handcuffed, as back-up officers arrived to help restrain him.

'Family screaming'

Mr Ugborokefe's wife and children had by this point exited their car and were screaming. He previously told the court he feared he would be "killed", claiming: "I believe this incident occurred to me because of the colour of my skin."

The defence have argued the officers "honestly believed him to be the robber" as he matched the description of a suspect reported to be in the area.

The officers allege he was not compliant in being handcuffed, which further aroused their suspicion, claiming he caused them to fear he was reaching for a weapon.

Giving evidence, Sgt Joshi said: "I believed I was dealing with a robbery suspect", saying the appearance of his family "didn't explain why he was on the road at that time of night". "I didn't know what had actually been stolen at that point and I didn't know whether there was any weapons involved," she added.

She said "robbery is a violent offence" and "suspects are known to carry weapons", claiming Mr Ugborokefe was "very obstructive and resisting and my main focus was on mine and my colleague's safety".

During cross-examination, prosecutor Richard Milne asked if it would be "unusual" or "extraordinary" for a suspect to take their young children along for a robbery.

Sgt Joshi replied: "We have had incidents where people do take their children to commit crime."

The trial continues.

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