A British Transport Police officer who grabbed a teenage fare dodger by the throat and put her in a headlock has been found guilty of assault by beating. CCTV captured the moment Adrian Young, 48, violently restrained the 15-year-old girl by holding her in a headlock for 30 seconds.
The video from Camden Road Underground station then shows PC Young pushing the girl back through the ticket barrier and grabbing her throat before shoving her against a machine in September last year. Afterwards he handcuffed and arrested the girl before de-arresting her at the scene. A member of the public who witnessed the attack made a complaint and the incident was referred to the IOPC. The IOPC sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service and on Thursday PC Young was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
He will be sentenced on November 13.
At the end of the IOPC investigation it found he should also face a gross misconduct hearing for allegedly breaching the police standards of professional behaviour.
They say they will now work with BTP to progress disciplinary proceedings.
The conviction comes amidst a surge of fare dodgers avoiding payment – sending costs spiralling for honest travellers. Earlier this year Tory MP Robert Jenrick attempted to confront fare dodgers in the capital.
Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan said: “I’d like to be absolutely clear that the actions of PC Young during this incident were appalling, demonstrating a completely unnecessary and unacceptable use of force against a child which has seen him be convicted of assault today.
“Police officers are rightly expected to maintain control of any situation and by not doing so, PC Young has undermined public confidence in BTP and the high standards we hold our officers to every day.
“We thank the IOPC for their investigation and will be looking to progress with internal disciplinary proceedings as soon as possible.”
IOPC Director Emily Barry said: “All police officers are trained to use force that is necessary, proportionate and reasonable in the circumstances.
“On this occasion, there was no lawful reason for the force used by PC Young, which could have resulted in serious injuries, particularly as he was dealing with a child who was considerably smaller than him.
“The incident was witnessed by several members of the public who expressed concerns at the scene about the officer’s actions, with one of the witnesses making a complaint to BTP that ultimately led to us carrying out an independent investigation.
“This shows that the public can have confidence in the police complaints system and that the IOPC will hold officers to account for their actions, with PC Young now convicted of a criminal offence.”