Metropolitan Police officers kicked and punched Black boy, 14, then lied about it

Two Metropolitan Police officers have been dismissed without notice for punching and kicking a 14-year-old boy during his arrest before lying about the incident in their statements immediately afterwards.

The child is Black, The Independent has learned.

The officers were dismissed at a gross misconduct hearing which followed an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

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."

The misconduct hearing heard that police constables Alexei Zalesskiy and Conor Ryan were accused of using excessive force on the boy, who was part of a group of young people gathered at Finsbury Park, north London in April 2021.

Police fficers attended following reports of fighting in the park where a knife had been seen. A number of police units responded, and a group of young people were stopped by officers. Some further stop and searches were conducted but no knife was found.

During attempts to disperse the group, one boy became “agitated” at being pushed by police, according to the IOPC; he began shouting at officers and spat in an officer’s face.

The child then ran away from the officers who chased him on foot to arrest him for assaulting an officer. Shortly after, he was detained on Wilberforce Road nearby, placed in handcuffs and arrested for the assault on an emergency worker and a public order offence. The boy was not charged and no further action was taken.

During the arrest, force was used on the boy which the IOPC investigated to see if it was necessary.

PC Zalesskiy punched him at least once and PC Ryan kicked him in the neck/head area and struck him in the thigh with his knee.

Evidence gathered by IOPC investigators included police body-worn video and CCTV which showed the officers punching and kicking the boy. The police watchdog also found evidence that they had lied in their statements immediately following the incident, dishonestly claiming they believed the boy was going to spit at PC Zalesskiy for a second time, justifying their actions.

After receiving a voluntary referral in April 2021 from the Metropolitan Police about the officers’ conduct, the IOPC conducted a five-month investigation into the matter and concluded that there was a case to answer for gross misconduct against both officers and an indication they may have committed assault by beating.

At the end of its investigation, the IOPC passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service. However, the CPS decided not to press charges against the officers.

The watchdog says it found “no evidence” that the officers’ excessive use of force was because of racism on their part.

Met Police officers are four times more likely to use force against Black people compared with the white population, the latest figures show.