Metropolitan Police officers win appeal over stop and search of athlete Bianca Williams and partner
Two Metropolitan Police officers who were sacked for gross misconduct after their stop and search of GB athletes Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos have won an appeal against their dismissal.
Former Met Pcs Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks have been handed their jobs back and will receive back-pay after winning an appeal against a ruling that they lied by saying they could smell cannabis during a stop and search of British athletes Bianca Williams and her partner in July, 2020.
The police followed the sprinters as they drove back from training to their west London home with their baby son, then three-months-old, in the back seat of their Mercedes.
They were then handcuffed and searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons after they were pulled over outside their property, but nothing was found.
On Friday, the disciplinary panel finding was overturned by the Police Appeals Tribunal which found the original decision was “irrational” and “inconsistent”.
In a statement following the Police Appeals Tribunal decision, sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos said: “The appeal decision is disappointing.
“Our drive home from training in 2020, with our baby, should never have turned into a violent incident where we were wrongly accused of smelling of drugs.
“We are professional athletes, we pride ourselves on not doing drugs.
“The actions and allegations of the officers were completely unacceptable.
“The IOPC were clear that all four officers lied.”
He added: “We shall challenge today’s outcome in the civil courts.”
The Appeals Tribunal chairman Damien Moore said the former Pcs Clapham and Franks were “dedicated, hard-working and much respected officers” whose reputations had been “ruined” by the original findings.
“Both officers did not lie,” Mr Moore continued. “Both officers will now be reinstated to the Met Police.
“They should receive back-pay.”
The force came under heavy criticism after footage of the stop was posted on social media, showing a distressed Williams who was concerned about being separated from her baby.
Rick Prior, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “Justice has been served. Why it ever got to this point however remains an absolute mystery.
“Pc Jonathan Clapham and Pc Sam Franks have today been fully exonerated and their reputations have rightly been restored. We are delighted for them.
“But this result is yet another damning indictment of the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Who holds them to account for what was a political witch hunt against two hard-working police officers? Our colleagues have been dragged through hell and back for four years. For doing nothing more or less than the job the public of London expect us to do.
“Londoners would want officers to act when they saw such behaviour on our roads… and it remains astonishing that officers lost their jobs for doing their job.
“Pc Clapham and Pc Franks have had the full support of the Metropolitan Police Federation throughout this horrific ordeal. We thank their Federation Representative Joe Ross and their legal team for their work.
“We ask now that Pc Clapham and Pc Franks are allowed to carry on with their lives and their careers should they wish to.”
An IOPC spokesperson said: “We note the outcome today of the officers’ appeal and await the written decision by the Police Appeals Tribunal.”
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