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Times
2 days ago
- Times
Five Met officers in court over Christmas party brawl
Five Met Police officers appeared in court charged with affray after their Christmas party in London ended up in a fight with Romanians celebrating their national holiday. Kellsey Millar, 32, Jack Sparkes, 34, Max Michaels-Dubois, 33, Daniel Dean, 38, and Alex Fackerell, 31, all attached to the Metropolitan Police's Territorial Support Group, had been drinking heavily before they boarded a river boat for their Christmas party on December 1, 2023. When it docked later that evening the group headed to the Southbank in central London. Alex Fackerell JACK TAYLOR FOR THE TIMES Daniel Dean JACK TAYLOR FOR THE TIMES Jack Sparkes JACK TAYLOR FOR THE TIMES Inner London crown court was told that Fackerell got into a fight with a group of Romanian men and had his 'head busted open' after being hit with a bottle, kicked and stamped on. While he was being treated at Las Iguanas restaurant a different group of Romanians walked past and asked if he was OK. His colleagues allegedly became 'aggressive' and began fighting with the group, the jury was told. CCTV showed some of the male defendants allegedly throwing punches and pushing a man, 'causing [him] to go backwards sharply'. The violent scenes lasted three-and-a-half minutes. Millar was blocked from entering the restaurant and allegedly grabbed Jheanelle Samuels, a female security guard, and 'kneed her in her left thigh'. Samuels punched the officer in the eye in self-defence to 'get her grip off me' in accordance with her training, she said. Millar, Sparkes, Michaels-Dubois, Dean and Fackerell deny affray. Millar has pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Samuels gave evidence on Tuesday and said her role was to 'keep everyone safe and make sure there are no intoxicated people coming inside'. She was aware it was 'Great Union Day', a Romanian national holiday, because several members of the public were draped in the country's flag. She spotted an injured Fackerell and allegedly overheard him say: 'I started on one of them and I didn't know there were more and they jumped in.' She said this 'gave me the assumption that's how he got his head injury'. Samuels ran to get a first aid kit and said three Romanians — two men and a woman — walked past and asked Fackerell if he was OK. Samuels said some of the officers had an 'aggressive reaction' and asked 'were you the ones who did it?' before punches were thrown. Samuels told the court: 'I saw the Romanians were outnumbered. I thought it was unfair for them to be beaten up so I tried to defuse the situation … I said: 'Stop — get off him. Leave him alone.'' But there were 'multiple fights' and 'one of them had a Romanian in a headlock', the security guard added. Millar allegedly grabbed Samuels and screamed: 'No.' Philip Stott, for the prosecution, asked Samuels what happened and she said Millar 'pushed me back and then she grabbed me and kneed me in my left thigh'. Michaels-Dubois allegedly barged through the group and asked 'What happened?' before he 'shoved' Samuels. She continued: 'I tried to walk away and he kept trying to follow me. [A] witness to the incident had to create a distance between me and him.' Stott asked the security guard how she felt. 'I was in serious pain. I was limping and had to retreat,' she said. 'At that point I saw they were beginning to scatter. I believe they had heard the police had been called.' Samuels, who is 5ft 2in tall, had martial arts training when she was younger but said she no longer uses it. She is an accredited guard by the Security Industry Authority, the court was told. Kevin Molloy, the barrister representing Sparkes, asked during cross-examination: 'Were you taught to punch people in the face as part of your training?' Samuels replied: 'We are told we can self-defend if necessary.' The trial continues.
BBC News
28-01-2025
- BBC News
Met PC disciplined for using racist term in conversation
A Metropolitan police officer has been given a final warning after a misconduct panel found she had used the term "cotton pickers" to refer to black panel said PC Mia Korell committed gross misconduct for using the words in an off-duty conversation with a fellow Korell, who is black, had denied using the offensive phrase in her exchange with Insp Alistair Phillips - while they were both off duty - in Guildford on 7 October 2022, saying "it is not part of my vernacular".A misconduct panel on Tuesday ruled she had said the "derogatory, disrespectful and racist" term and she was given a final written warning, to last five years. 'Meant to be derogatory' Cdr Jason Prins, chairman of the misconduct panel, said they were satisfied the expression was intended to be derogatory, discourteous to black officers "and that the word is racist in nature".He added that the panel found Mr Phillips "had no motive to fabricate the allegation and it would have reflected badly on his career had he done so".Cdr Prins said the panel found the words used "fitted the context of the conversation" and gave weight to Mr Phillips being "100% sure" that cotton pickers was said that PC Korell's use of the words was "out of character" and the panel did not consider her to be "inherently racist". Chance meeting Insp Phillips and PC Korell were discussing whether the Territorial Support Group (TSG) was a racist unit, after a chance meeting near the University of Surrey, where the policewoman is studying for a PhD on the experience of black police officers. PC Korell used the term to describe black officers who did not believe the TSG was a racist unit, the misconduct hearing was told on Phillips alleged that she asked him if he believed the TSG, which both officers were part of at the time, was racist, to which he replied he did not."The conversation was fairly clear," Insp Phillips told the panel. "I don't think there was any misunderstanding. I am 100% sure that was the exact phrase used."The hearing was told Insp Phillips emailed PC Korell's line manager to report her language on 17 October panel ruled PC Korell had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in the force, in respect of discreditable conduct, authority, respect and courtesy, and equality and diversity.
