After the Borough Commander says he will continue to use convicted constable Perry Lathwood on the streets of Croydon, more than a dozen local groups have written to the Met Commissioner and policing minister Chris Philp highlighting the officer’s questionable and often violent conduct
Guilty: PC Perry Lathwood at Westminster Magistrates Court for sentencing today
The Met Police officer found guilty of assault in a wrongful arrest of a woman bus passenger in Croydon last year was today fined £1,500, and has been ordered to pay another £1,450 in compensation and costs.
But community groups in Croydon have written a joint letter of complaint to the Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, demanding that a process to dismiss PC Perry Lathwood should be fast-tracked.
Lathwood “manhandled” Jocelyn Agyemang after she got off a bus on Whitehorse Road last July, when the officer wrongfully arrested her for fare evasion, with her young son watching on,in great distress. During the arrest, the officer called Agyemang a “daft cow”, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
During today’s sentencing hearing, Agyemang’s victim statement was read in open court. She said she had been treated with “contempt” by Lathwood, and that her small son had been “devastated”.
The court was told Lathwood, from Norman’s Bay, East Sussex, does not accept the conviction and will appeal against it.
Sentencing Lathwood, Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram said: “On this occasion in my judgment the officer crossed the line and got it wrong.”
The judge added he did not find it was “an abuse of power”, but was instead a “mistake”.
On top of the fine, Lathwood was ordered by the judge to pay £200 to the victim in compensation, £650 in costs and a victim surcharge of £600. He will have to pay the total £2,950 within 56 days.
Matt Twist, the Met’s Assistant Commissioner, had said after Lathwood’s conviction that it was a “huge setback to our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners”.
Croydon community groups who have written to the Commissioner say that they are “appalled” by that attitude and the inaction of the Met since Lathwood’s guilty verdict last month.
Colour blind: Ch Supt Andy Brittain, Croydon’s Borough Commander
The joint letter has been signed by representatives of more than a dozen Croydon-based organisations, including the South West London Law Centre, the Public Interest Law Centre, Black Lives Matter, Croydon Stand Up To Racism and Holmesdale Fanatics, the Crystal Palace supporters group.
As well as the Commissioner, the letter has also been sent to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Chris Philp as policing minister and Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, Croydon’s Borough Commander.
The letter states, “Lathwood has a reputation among Crystal Palace fans for his heavy handedness and ‘bullying’ behaviour at football matches over the last 15 years – one example of this is Lathwood hitting Aston Villa fans with his baton multiple times as they were celebrating a goal, which was met with outrage when shared on social media in 2019.”
And they say, “It is clear that Lathwood’s aggression towards Ms Agyemang was not an isolated incident but is reflective of his practice as a police officer.”
The letter states, “By continuing to employ and support an officer convicted of assaulting and unlawfully arresting a black woman in front of her son, you are perpetuating institutional racism.
Stephen Lawrence: his murder prompted an official inquiry which found the Met ‘institutionally racist’
“PC Lathwood’s conviction seems to have made no difference whatsoever – he is still on full pay and is not facing a fast track dismissal as is normal procedure following convictions. At a public meeting last week, Andy Brittain, Chief Superintendent of Croydon Police, confirmed that he intends to continue employing the convicted, violent officer in the force, as punishing him will discourage new recruits!
“Hundreds of police officers were dismissed last year – so why not Lathwood, who has been convicted of assault and whose actions are a clear example of the disproportionate use of force that black people often experience in interactions with the police? Is recruitment more important than accountability and justice?”
The letter suggests “the over-policing of people of colour”, and says that, as confirmed by the recent Casey Review, 25 years after the McPherson Report into the murder investigation following the death of Stephen Lawrence, “nothing has changed – the MPS is still institutionally racist”.
They say: “Many of us no longer feel protected by the police but rather the target of the police. Without the trust of the community you will not be able to police by consent – the cornerstone of policing in a democracy. As the Casey Review concludes ‘policing by consent has broken’.”
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
FREE ADS: Paid-up subscribers to Inside Croydon qualify for a free ad for their business, residents’ association or community group, just one of the benefits of being part of our online community. For more information about being an iC subscriber, click here for our Patreon page
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our near 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, which is featured on Google News Showcase and followed by 16,000 on Twitter/X, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
