Metropolitan Police Constables – one currently serving, the other a former PC – have received a misconduct ruling following a disciplinary hearing into their actions in the controversial handcuffing and restraint of a 14-year-old black boy at Blackhorse Lane in Addiscombe in June 2022. The serving officer has been given a final written warning as a consequence.
Excessive force: Deshaun Joseph, then aged 14, was bundled to the floor near a Croydon tram stop in 2022
The incident was video’d by bystanders and broadcast on local television news, causing widespread shock and anger at the boy’s treatment. The teenager, Deshaun Joseph, said at the time: “I thought I was going to die.”
Two years ago, the Met’s own initial review of the incident, conducted by its Directorate of Professional Standards, found “no misconduct is apparent”.
But last week, the IOPC – the Independent Office for Police Conduct – published a lengthy ruling into the conduct of Croydon officers PC McCorley Clewes and former PC Benjamin Morgan.
It says that Clewes and Morgan “were among four officers initially involved in the stop in Blackhorse Lane on 23 June 2022, at around 5.30pm.
“PC Morgan and PC Clewes, who were part of the Violent Crime Taskforce (VCTF), received a report of a street robbery of a mobile phone from a 13-year-old-boy by four black boys aged around 14, three wearing black puffer coats and one wearing a dark blue slim hoodie.
“One of the robbers was said to have claimed they had a knife, although the victim did not report seeing a knife.
“Shortly afterwards, the boy – referred to as Child B – was spotted near the location of the robbery and was stopped for a search. He was alone and wearing a hoodie.” By “Child B”, the IOPC is referring to Deshaun Joseph.
“Child B was handcuffed, taken to the ground and restrained. He remained handcuffed for three minutes while he was searched on the ground and for nearly four minutes after the search had been completed.
“The boy, who was visibly upset, told officers that he had come from school and was wearing school uniform, under his hoodie. Nothing was found on the boy.
“Our investigation began after a complaint from the boy’s mother was referred to us by the Met Police in the days after the incident.
“The stop and search was seen by members of the public and mobile phone footage recorded by a witness was collected and analysed by IOPC investigators, along with officers’ body-worn video.
“An independent panel, appointed by the Met and headed by a legally-qualified chair… found that the officers’ actions amounted to misconduct rather than gross misconduct for breaching the police standards of professional behaviour relating to use of force for handcuffing him for longer than was necessary; and for equality and diversity for failing to make reasonable adjustments for the child.
Scared: Deshaun Joseph and his mother, Janet Joseph, interviewed by ITV London in 2022
“The allegations that PC Morgan had repeatedly asked Child B for his details (when he had no power to insist on being told those details) and threatened to contact his school were also found proven, in breach of the standard relating to integrity.
“PC Clewes was also found to have breached the standard of authority, respect and courtesy for his manner when speaking with the child’s mother and members of the public. PC Clewes was given a final written warning for two years; former officer Morgan could not be sanctioned as he had already resigned from the force.”
In the ITV London News interview in 2022, Joseph’s mother, Janet Joseph, described the episode as “every parent’s worst nightmare”.
She said: “It’s the same old story – every black boy fits the description. There’s no excuse for what they did to my son and the excessive force they used on a 14-year-old black boy.”
Read more: Rowley’s police set out plan to become anti-racist organisation
Read more: ‘Our failure can be read on the headstones of dead youth’
- 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
As featured on Google News Showcase
- 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 is a member of the Independent Community News Network
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
