Conviction of Metropolitan Police officer overturned for attacking woman on bus

The conviction of a Metropolitan Police officer who was fined £1,500 for assault after wrongfully arresting a woman for bus fare evasion has been overturned.

PC Perry Lathwood was convicted of assaulting a woman while travelling by bus in Croydon, south London, in June 2023.

In the trial against the officer at Westminster Magistrates' Court, it was found that he grabbed the woman by the arm during the arrest, causing her bruising.

He was convicted on May 17 of this year and was 50 years old at the time of sentencing in June.

Mr Lathwood, who is attached to the Metropolitan Police's Road Traffic Policing Command, appealed against the sentence, which was overturned at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said.

A video of the incident was shared online and attracted widespread public interest, police said.

“The impact it has had on the black communities in Croydon and beyond in particular has been significant.

“However, PC Lathwood has now been acquitted by the criminal courts and this decision must be respected.

“We accept that this incident was not handled perfectly and that we can learn valuable lessons from it.

“However, we believe this may have been done through mechanisms for resolving police misconduct rather than through the courts.

“Officials are not afraid of scrutiny and recognise the importance of independent oversight.

“We will continue to campaign for a system of police accountability that officers can trust – a system that properly recognises the very demanding role they play and the requirement to make quick decisions under pressure.”

Pending the outcome of the misconduct proceedings, Mr Lathwood will continue to perform restricted duties.

Deputy Chief District Judge Tan Ikram, who sentenced the officer, said at the time that Mr Lathwood had “gone too far and done something wrong” but “not with any malicious intent”.

“In my opinion, he made a brief error of judgement in the heat of the moment, so to speak,” he said.