A Metropolitan Police officer faces criminal charges after being accused of stealing cash from a man’s corpse on a busy street in north London.
Italian filmmaker Claudio Gaetani, 45, collapsed having suffered an apparent heart attack during morning rush hour cycle to meet two friends in Hornsey.
He lay on the ground for six hours in full view of children while two officers waited for an undertaker to remove his body, according to reports.
But more than 200 Euros (£171) Mr Gaetani exchanged at an airport was missing from a wallet when his belongings were collected from Edmonton Police Station.
The victim had arrived from his native Italy the night before for a theatre festival in the Southbank, the Daily Mirror said.
Mr Gaetani’s passport, bicycle and backpack were recovered but wallet was empty.
One of his friends, the wife, said detectives told her body-worn footage shows an officer counting the money at the scene.
Scotland Yard received a complaint in October 2022 which it referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct the same month.
In January 2023, the IOPC directed the matter should be investigated locally.
Last June, one of the two officers was placed on restricted duties.
Mr Gaetani died on September 8, 2022 – days before Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley took over Britain’s largest force with a mandate to root out rogue officers.
The victim’s friend told the newspaper: “The money is not the issue.
“Claudio comes from quite a wealthy family.
“I’m still doing this complaint, not because of the money, but because people who are in uniform they should have a kind of trust.
“I think it is really disrespectful. I was really, really upset.”
The Met’s Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command this month passed their file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service which expected to make a charging decision soon.
A police spokesman said: “The Met received a complaint in October 2022 following the death of a 45-year-old man in north London in September 2022.
“This was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) the same month, and in January 2023, the IOPC directed it should be investigated locally by the Met.
“As a result of this, in June 2023 an officer was put on restricted duties, which they remain on.
“We are aware of the significant impact this will be continuing to have on the man’s family and have been in contact with them while the enquiries progress.
“A file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision in March. We await their decision.”
