Errol Dixon: Police officer who broke Black pensioner’s nose may face criminal charges
Exclusive: Errol Dixon, 72, who has mild dementia and cancer, was stopped in his car by police officers in south London on 13 September 2021
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Your support makes all the difference.A Metropolitan Police officer who beat an elderly Black man may face criminal charges over the incident, The Independent can reveal.
Errol Dixon, 72, who has mild dementia and lives with cancer, was stopped in his car by police officers in Bromley, southeast London, on 13 September 2021.
During the incident, Met Police officer PC Read struck Mr Dixon, and the pensioner says he suffered a broken nose, a fractured cheekbone and eye socket, and a displaced septum, which led to his hospitalisation.
Now, following a High Court challenge brought by Mr Dixon, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) plans to refer a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by the end of July so that it can consider pressing assault charges against the police officer.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “At the conclusion of our investigation in September 2022, we decided not to refer a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.
“Errol Dixon’s family requested a review of this decision under our victims’ right to review process in February 2023. A new decision maker was appointed and, in July 2024, we decided to refer a file of evidence to the CPS to consider a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
“It will be for the CPS to decide if the officer should be charged. The parties involved have been notified of this development.”
Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Mr Dixon, who described how his nose is still disfigured following the incident, said: “I feel satisfied that things are working in my favour. I really don’t think we should have had to fight so hard for things to reach this stage.
“I believe the officers treated me in that way because I was Black. The officer needs to be charged and fired. If any member of the ordinary public did something like this, the police wouldn’t hesitate to press charges.”
Mr Dixon, who was born in Jamaica and moved to Britain aged 12, said: “What they did to me was unnecessary; I did nothing to deserve that beating. My face is damaged and my confidence is damaged.”
The Londoner added: “I’m scared of the police now, where I never used to be. Every time I see an officer, I keep thinking something is going to happen. I don’t trust them.”
PC Read is currently on restricted duties while this matter remains ongoing, the Met Police told The Independent.
“Obviously, the fight is not over yet but, as a family, we’re happy with how things are going at the minute,” said Mr Dixon’s son, David. “Seeing what they had done to my dad wasn’t nice. Straight after they attacked him, I went to the scene and saw the damage.
“I literally thought that my dad was gonna die, and also knowing he’s not a well man, it was very scary. The police officer shouldn’t be on duty where he could potentially do this to other people; he’s dangerous.”
Following an investigation by the IOPC, which concluded in November 2021, it was claimed that PC Read had been acting in “self-defence” against the pensioner, that the force used had been “reasonable, justified and proportionate”, and that no officer had a misconduct case to answer.
This prompted Mr Dixon to launch a judicial review through the High Court in February 2023, which was won in July 2023. The IOPC then issued an apology to Mr Dixon, before launching a fresh investigation into the incident.
Sophie Naftalin, partner at Bhatt Murphy, told The Independent: “All Mr Dixon has ever wanted was for PC Read to be held accountable for the brutal force that he inflicted upon him in September 2021.
“After an independent investigation, the IOPC unlawfully cleared PC Read of any wrongdoing, and to challenge that, Mr DIxon had no option other than to take it to the High Court.
“It has been a long process, but the fresh decision of the IOPC that PC Read must face a gross misconduct hearing and that the case will be referred to the CPS for a charging decision entirely vindicates Mr Dixon’s battle.
“We very much hope, also, that this is a lesson to the IOPC in discharging its function to hold police officers to account.”
The latest Home Office figures show that Black people are more than three times as likely to experience forceful policing than their white counterparts.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “We are aware of the outcome of the judicial review, and the IOPC has informed the Met of their redetermination for one of the officers and that he has a case to answer for gross misconduct in relation to his use of force. A file will be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
“The officer is currently on restricted duties.”
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