Met officer faces dismissal after ‘clear case of racial profiling’

A police officer jailed for picking on a black father because of his colour and attacking him in front of his children is facing dismissal.

A judge said PC Charlie Harrison, 39, targeted his victim – who was grieving for his dead partner – for a bogus stop because of his race, and then assaulted him.

Harrison was jailed for two years and three months and now faces being drummed out of the Metropolitan police after being convicted of grievous bodily harm.

His victim Carl Abrahams, 47, had been visiting his partner’s grave in east London along with his two teenage sons.

All three have been left traumatised with Abrahams suffering a fractured upper shin after the attack by Harrison, who was part of the Met’s violent crime taskforce, formed to crackdown on violence.

On 31 December 2018 Harrison was on duty in Forest Gate, east London having been briefed that morning to be on the look out for a number of black male suspects who were wanted for violent crimes.

Harrison who was in an unmarked police car, got out and approached Abrahams without identifying himself.

Abrahams and his children walked past the officer and without saying anything, Harrison kicked his victim’s knee, toppling him to the ground.

Harrison’s nearby colleagues then rushed out of their cars and a passerby who remonstrated with the officer was threatened with arrest. Harrison later claimed in interview the stop was to look for drugs and guns.

But during his trial at Southwark crown court the officer changed his story and claimed the family “noticed” his car which he found suspicious.

Harrison was jailed on Monday and the Met said on Tuesday he faces a fast-track discipline process. It will also consider whether race played a part in Harrison’s actions, following damning remarks by the trial judge.

Judge Gregory Perrins said: “Having heard the evidence at trial, I strongly suspect that the reason that you stopped Mr Abrahams and his sons was because they were black.”

The judge later added: “Had Mr Abrahams and his sons been white I suspect that you would have simply drove on by; this was in my judgment a clear case of racial profiling.”

Harrison had tried to justify the stop during an interview by saying: “You don’t find drugs and weapons by remaining in your police car.”

The judge said: “You had no grounds to arrest either Mr Abrahams or his sons, nor did you have any grounds to carry out a stop and search. They had done absolutely nothing wrong nor had they behaved in any way that could be deemed suspicious.

“They were simply a family returning from a cemetery where they had gone to visit the grave of their partner and mother.

The judge continued: “You kicked Mr Abrahams’ leg, deliberately knocking him to the ground. Mr Abrahams was in obvious pain. Although it was suggested at trial that his sons were aggressive and confrontational in the aftermath of the incident, the video footage shows the exact opposite.

“It was your case at trial that Mr Abrahams was aggressive and that you quickly formed the view that he was going to assault you. You therefore used an approved ‘leg sweep’ manoeuvre to take him to the ground where he could be restrained.

“Having heard the evidence at trial I see no basis upon which you could genuinely have thought it necessary to defend yourself from a man walking down the street with his two sons with his hands in his pockets.

“This was a deliberate assault.”

The judge said there were “serious and significant aggravating factors” to the offence: “First is the fact that Mr Abraham’s two children were present.

“They had to watch their father being kicked to the ground without justification by a police officer.”

The victim was on crutches for three months and no longer plays sport, with his sons left fearful of the police.

“Secondly, I do take the view that this was an abuse of power. You were purporting to use your powers as a police officer when you kicked him.

“When it was clear that a member of the public had witnessed what you did he was threatened with arrest.

“Although you claimed in evidence that you were engaged in ‘community liaison’ your actions have the potential to seriously undermine the trust placed in the police by members of the public.”

The judge said he could not be sure the attack was due to the race of the victim, though the decision to stop him was.

Harrison was brought to trial after an investigation by the Met’s directorate of professional standards.

He is suspended and the date for the discipline tribunal is yet to be fixed.