Errol Dixon: ‘No case to answer’ for police officer who punched 70-year-old man

A watchdog has found no case to answer for a police officer who punched a 70-year-old man during a traffic stop.

Errol Dixon was stopped in Blyth Road, Bromley, south-east London, in September last year and was said to have been left with facial fractures after his encounter with police.

His daughter posted pictures of his injuries on Instagram, claiming he had been stopped for a broken brake light and alleging that officers “beat up my dad”.

Shortly after, Mr Dixon spoke exclusively to ITV News London about the "pain and distress" of what happened.

On Wednesday the Independent Office for Police Conduct found that the officer had no case to answer and that there was no evidence that they had committed a criminal offence.

The officer said that Mr Dixon, who was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency services worker, had hit him in the face first.

IOPC investigators viewed body-worn video and took witness statements from Mr Dixon as well as the officer, who was interviewed under criminal caution; carried out house-to-house inquiries and viewed medical records.

'Acting in self-defence'

The watchdog said: “At the conclusion of our investigation, in September 2022, we found the officer had no case to answer for their use of force in punching the man and there was no evidence that they may have committed a criminal offence.

“The evidence supported the officer’s statement that he believed the man posed a threat to him at the time and that he was acting in self-defence.

“Prior to punching the man in the face, the officer was, himself, struck in the face by the man and sustained an injury to his eye causing temporary loss of vision.”

The watchdog continued: “We found that the officers at the scene had been polite and professional in their dealings with him before the man became antagonistic.

“In those circumstances, we found the force used was reasonable, justified and proportionate, given the man was aggressively resisting police.”

The watchdog also investigated a complaint that Mr Dixon had been discriminated against because of his race.

It found that there had been a legitimate reason to stop him because of the broken brake light, and no evidence to suggest he had been treated differently because of his race.

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