PC found guilty of assaulting woman over wrongful bus fare arrest

Metropolitan Police officer Perry Lathwood has been found guilty of assault after he wrongfully arrested a woman for bus fare evasion.

The officer "manhandled" Jocelyn Agyemang in Croydon in front of her young son last July, the trial heard.

During the arrest, Lathwood, from Norman's Bay, East Sussex called Ms Agyemang as a "daft cow".

Ms Agyemang told the court she felt "very violated" and was left with pain in her wrist and a bruised shoulder.

Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram at Westminster Magistrates' Court said it was "not necessary to grab the woman's arm, arrest her and handcuff her".

"There were not reasonable grounds to suggest arrest was necessary," the judge added.

"The officer made an error of judgment and overreacted."

During the trial, Paul Jarvis, prosecuting, said Ms Agyemang was dropping her son off at her mother's house on 21 July last year before heading to an appointment in Marylebone scheduled for 12:30 BST.

After she and her son disembarked the bus at around 11:00, she was asked to show she had paid her fare by a bus inspector.

Perry Lathwood was found guilty of assault by beating

"She does not hand it over and she walks off," Mr Jarvis told the court.

"It is at this moment that PC Lathwood becomes involved."

'Done nothing wrong'

He said Lathwood put a hand on her, but she moved away, so he then grabbed her arm and arrested her for fare evasion.

A crowd gathered, with people filming the officer and asking him why he had arrested her.

In footage played to the court, Ms Agyemang can he heard asking the officer: "Can you get off me, please? Can you get off my arm?

"You don't understand, I have done nothing wrong."

Mr Jarvis said Lathwood continued to hold her, demanding she tap her Oyster card. He also handcuffed her.

Another officer took her Oyster card from her hand and went away with it to see if she had paid.

She was de-arrested at the scene after the force confirmed Ms Agyemang had paid her fare.

Ms Agyemang also told the trial she felt "a bit degraded" by the incident, which she said was "very scary".

"I just remember the strong grip," she said.

"When someone is holding me, especially when I feel like I have done nothing wrong, it is very scary for me."

'Huge setback'

When asked why she walked off, Ms Agyemang said: "At the time I was just thinking about getting to my mother's house."

She was also asked why she "resisted" the police when she was stopped.

"I honestly don't see it as resisting," she said.

Matt Twist, the Met's Assistant Commissioner, said the conviction was a "huge setback to our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners".

"We apologise to the woman and the wider community who were deeply affected. 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.

"Despite today's conviction, we will continue to support the officer."

The force said it would consider a misconduct hearing after Lathwood, who has been on restricted duties, has decided whether to appeal his conviction.

The assault occurred on Whitehorse Road in Croydon last year

Assistant Commissioner Twist added: "We will work to fully understand the decision of the court and its implications for policing.

"The nature of this kind of fare evasion operation unnecessarily places officers in potentially challenging interactions with the public.

"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."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) carried out the investigation into the officer's conduct during the arrest.

Mel Palmer, the IOPC's regional director, said following the verdict: "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."

She added the decision to refer the incident to prosecutors was not something they took lightly.

Lathwood will be sentenced on 14 June at the same court.

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