Fist-pumping brothers wrongly accused of drug dealing on Catford High Street get Met Police apology

Dijon and Liam Joseph told Charlene White about the moment a van full of police officers suddenly appeared when all they had done is greet each other in the street

Two brothers who greeted each other with a fist-pump on a high street in South London were wrongly accused by police of drug dealing.

Dijon and Liam Joseph were stopped and searched in Catford in what officers now admit was a "traumatic and humiliating" experience for the pair.

The brothers had to wait five years for an apology and told ITV News they were simply ordering food when a van full of police officers arrived.

'Grabbing him, grabbing me'

"Me and my brother were ordering food from a takeaway so I came outside and I fist-pumped him," Liam said.

"I saw a van of police officers pull up. Next thing i knew was they were grabbing my brother - grabbing him, grabbing me - it was awful to be honest," he added.

The brothers sued police for false imprisonment, assault and racial bias and faced a long wait before the Met agreed to pay damages.

Liam said it was important to pursue the case which had felt at times like a 'weight on his back'.

He added: "I wanted to send a message to the community of people who look like myself that if you feel you have been treated unlawfully by the police that you should stand up for yourself and fight it through to the end.

"[The case] has been like a weight on my back. I've felt the weight of this case the whole time."

Part of the police apology that settled the claim said the men were "of good character who did nothing wrong".

Police also acknowledged the brothers found the experience traumatic and humiliating and "their prior experiences of stop and search reflect those of other young black men in London over many years".

Dijon Joseph said the police response gave a "sense of vindication", adding: "I think it's a step in the right direction... just to be accountable and to say something went wrong.

"It showed there was a willingness to work with us and to maybe establish some sort of relationship between us and the police."

The full apology from police that settled the claim reads: "It being agreed, a letter of apology will be sent on the defendant's behalf to each claimant acknowledging they are men of good character who did nothing wrong to cause the police to stop them on 27th February 2018, that they found the experience traumatic and humiliating, that their prior experiences of stop and search reflect those of other young black men in London over many years, and that the defendant is publicly committed to rebuilding the trust and confidence of the black communities in policing."

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