A Metropolitan Police officer cleared of an alleged hotel rape in 2022 has been sacked for destroying a bathroom door after his wife locked herself inside with their five-month-old baby fearing his “extreme violence”.
PC Adam Zaman’s spouse dialled 999 but her abandoned call resulted in colleagues racing to the scene in Romford, east London.
Two years ago, prosecutors dropped a case against Zaman, 30, who was accused of raping a woman he’d just met in a nightclub after taking her to the Andaz London Liverpool Street hotel.
Last week, an accelerated misconduct hearing was told Zaman put holes into the bathroom door by kicking and punching it on June 3 in what he tried to pass off as a “lover’s tiff”.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “This was done in the knowledge that this violence would cause fear to his wife and child who were locked inside, in an attempt to evade him.
“It is entirely unacceptable for police officers who are responsible for enforcing the law, to engage in any form of domestic violence, let alone domestic violence of this severity.”
In October 2021, the Old Bailey was told Zaman had shown his warrant card to a woman and told her he was an officer at a club in Romford before they travelled to the five-star Andaz together.
CPS lawyers alleged she sent concerned texts to friends and British Transport Police during the journey.
Off-duty Zaman, based in the East Area Command Unit, is said to have shown his police ID to hotel staff - who were concerned because the woman was intoxicated.
But no evidence was offered against him at the Royal Courts of Justice in February 2022.
Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb formally entered a not guilty verdict to the charge of rape.
However, AC Taylor, who chaired a disciplinary panel on November 28, said Zaman’s “domestic violence” had gone way beyond what a reasonable person would describe as a “tiff”.
The constable, said to have had a “turbulent employment with the Met”, returned home after going out drinking.
A furious row erupted which caused his wife to seek refuge in the bathroom “to protect” the child.
Once police arrived, Zaman identified himself and admitted what he had done at the scene.
Later, he claimed answers given to officers on the evening could not be accepted because he was too drunk and his wife’s limited understanding of English made her evidence unreliable.
These were rejected by AC Taylor who found Zaman breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct to a gross misconduct level. He was dismissed without notice and placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
AC Taylor said his behaviour could seriously undermine public trust and confidence in the Met if the force appeared not to take law-breaking and violence against women and girls by police officers, extremely seriously.
At the time, Detective Chief Inspector Colin Bishop, from City of London Police, the force which investigated the rape complaint against Zaman commented: “City of London Police carried out a thorough investigation.
“The decision to discontinue the case was made by the CPS and it would not be appropriate for us to comment any further.”
