Three officers accuse police watchdog over Taser case

Three police officers accused of racially discriminating against a black firefighter have made official complaints alleging criminal conduct by the independent watchdog over its handling of the case.

Inspector Sutinderjit Mahi and Pcs Daniel Roberts and Mark Gatland made official allegations to Scotland Yard over the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) probe into their treatment of Edric Kennedy-Macfoy.

Mr Kennedy-Macfoy was helping officers identify a teenager who had thrown a rock at a police van in Harrow, north London, in September 2011 when he was Tasered and arrested.

He was later cleared in court of obstructing police and received damages from the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Mahi and Pc Roberts were accused of using abusive and offensive language motivated by racial discrimination and/or racial stereotyping, while firearms officer Pc Gatland - who used the Taser - was accused of using unreasonable force motivated by racial discrimination and/or racial stereotyping.

But a misconduct hearing against the three in July collapsed when the IPCC withdrew its case over "procedural shortfalls".

The officers' lawyer, John Downes, from Slater and Gordon, said: "We welcome the news that officers from Scotland Yard are assessing the criminal claims against the IPCC.

"My clients have suffered for the past five years since the original incident and the spurious claims against them have tarnished their lives.

"They now hope the allegations they have made against the IPCC are taken seriously by the Metropolitan Police and look forward to being updated soon."

The IPCC admitted at the July hearing that it failed to take into account statements corroborating the officers' accounts from independent witnesses, did not interview those witnesses and failed to disclose those statements during disciplinary proceedings.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said on Saturday: "We can confirm that in September the MPS received two linked allegations of crime, relating to issues arising from a misconduct hearing in July 2016 which was halted because of issues with disclosure.

"The allegation has been recorded and is being assessed."

An IPCC spokeswoman said: "The MPS has made us aware that two linked allegations are being assessed and as such it would be inappropriate to say more at this stage."

Mr Kennedy-Macfoy's lawyer, Shamik Dutta, said he had yet to be informed by the Metropolitan Police of any complaints and would expect Mr Kennedy-Macfoy to be notified. He also said the firefighter should be "invited to participate" if there is an investigation.

Mr Dutta added: "It is worth reiterating that after Mr Kennedy-Macfoy was found not guilty in the magistrates' court, both the Metropolitan Police and the IPCC investigated his police complaint. In the course of those investigations, independent witnesses supported Mr Kennedy-Macfoy's account.

"Senior Metropolitan Police officers have invited Mr Kennedy-Macfoy to a meeting to discuss my client's concerns about the case and my client intends to help them learn from his terrible experience."