I met the police officer guilty of the Croydon attack after wrongfully arresting a woman in front of her crying son

This is the moment a Croydon Met police officer wrongfully arrested a woman for bus ticket evasion in front of her crying son. PC Perry Lathwood was found guilty of assault at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday (May 17) after grabbing Jocelyn Agyemang’s arm, causing bruising, during an arrest on Whitehorse Road on July 21 last year last.

The 50-year-old, from Norman’s Bay, East Sussex, was told by the judge that he “made an error of judgment and overreacted” while helping Transport for London inspectors during a fare evasion operation. Mrs Agyemang was dropping her son off at her mother’s house before going to a meeting in Marylebone when she was approached by a ticket inspector just after 11am.

She asked the inspector to go with her as she passed out, as she was in a hurry, but was stopped by a PCSO. The body-worn footage then shows PC Lathwood grabbing Ms Agyemang’s arm to stop her leaving as he tells her she is being held for evading. After a struggle and repeated pleas to be released, she was placed in handcuffs by PC Lathwood.

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But when inspectors scanned her bus pass, she confirmed she had paid for her journey. The handcuffs were removed and she was taken into custody. During this time, members of the public intervened and asked the officers to let her go. Distressing footage by onlookers of Ms Agyemang demanding to be released as her son sobbed and cried in the background then went viral on social media.

At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Deputy Chief Justice Tan Ikram ruled that it was “not necessary” for Lathwood to “grab the woman’s arm, arrest her and handcuff her”, as he found Lathwood guilty of assault after a trial of one day.

“It was difficult,” the judge said, “but there were no reasonable grounds to suggest that an arrest was necessary … The officer made an error of judgment and overreacted. The handcuffing inflamed the situation even more.”

Lathwood, who was wearing a blue checkered suit, did not react when the judge delivered his verdict. Mr Ikram said Lathwood’s claims that he acted to protect Ms Agyemang’s child were “fantasy” and he “simply did not believe him”. “The officer’s evidence lacked all credibility,” he added.

During the trial, prosecutor Paul Jarvis said there was “no need for an arrest”. Ms Agyemang said she felt “very violated” by the incident. “I felt they didn’t care,” she told the court. “I felt a bit degraded because I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

“Force should be reasonable”

The police watchdog investigated the incident, relying on body-worn recordings, videos shot by members of the public and CCTV from the bus. Ms Agyemang gave her account of the assault, reporting pain in her wrists, right arm and shoulder, with bruising noted by the doctor.

After gathering evidence from police and TfL staff, police files, national policies and legislation and a cautionary interview with PC Lathwood, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) handed its findings to the Crown Prosecution Service, who authorized a charge of assault. by beating.

IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “Today a judge found that PC Lathwood’s use of force against the woman after her arrest, including handcuffing and holding her arm, was unlawful and he was convicted of assault.

“Any use of force by officers should be reasonable, proportionate and justified in the circumstances. This was a high-profile incident which caused significant concern, particularly in the Croydon community, after footage of the incident was published online.

“We have carried out an independent and impartial investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident, including the actions of the police officers involved. The decision to refer a file of evidence to the CPS to consider criminal charges is not something we take lightly and it was made after careful consideration of the evidence, including liaising with the CPS.”

“We apologize to the woman and the community at large”

Deputy Commissioner Matt Twist described the guilty verdict as a “huge setback” and blamed the fare evasion operation for putting officers in “potentially challenging situations with the public”. The senior Met officer, who leads Met Operations, also said the force would continue to support PC Lathwood and ensure officers have the confidence to act decisively.

“This verdict is a huge setback for our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners,” AC Twist said. “We will learn from this and apologize to the woman and the wider community who have been deeply affected. Anyone who has seen the footage of this incident will be upset at how it escalated into a traumatic situation for a mother and her child. “

But he also said the force would wait to see if PC Lathwood appealed the conviction before taking any steps in the misconduct process as it “works to fully understand the court’s decision and its implications for policing”. Scotland Yard has indicated it does not intend to consider an expedited misconduct hearing, even though these are usually considered for officers who are convicted.

AC Twist also suggested its officers were put in a difficult position working with TfL on the operation. “The nature of this type of fare evasion operation unnecessarily places officers in potentially challenging interactions with the public,” he argued. “Since this incident happened, we have ceased our involvement in supporting Transport for London’s fare evasion operations, but we continue our presence on the bus network, tackling violent crime.”

AC Twist added: “The Met will continue to work with communities, transform our culture and improve the way we engage with all Londoners – by embedding our values ​​of empathy, integrity, respect, courage and responsibility across the organisation.”

Lathwood, who is attached to the Metropolitan Police’s Roads Policing Command, will be sentenced on June 14 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

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