A group of Metropolitan Police officers have been accused of being racist and stereotyping a black man driving a “nice car” as someone who “must be engaged in criminality”, a misconduct panel heard.
Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos, 28, and his partner and Team GB athlete Bianca Williams, 29, believe they were racially profiled during an encounter on July 4 2020 with five Met Police officers.
The police followed them as they drove to their west London home from training with their baby son, then three months old, in the back seat of their Mercedes.
(Mr Dos Santos) believes that the officers are racist— Karon Monaghan KC
The couple were handcuffed and searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons after they pulled over outside their property, but nothing was found.
Acting Police Sergeant Rachel Simpson, Pc Allan Casey, Pc Jonathan Clapham, Pc Michael Bond and Pc Sam Franks deny all charges against them, which include allegations that they breached police standards over equality and diversity during the stop and search.
They could be sacked if gross misconduct is proven.
Karon Monaghan KC, for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), told the panel in closing submissions on Monday how Mr Dos Santos has been “repeatedly” stopped and searched by police, including being stopped nine times within four weeks of a buying a car in 2018.
“He believes he is stereotyped as a black man in a nice car so he must be engaged in criminality of some sort,” Ms Monaghan said.
“He believes that the officers are racist,” she added.
“He told them that and he continues to believe that to be the case.”
The panel has seen footage of the incident in which Mr Dos Santos swears at the officers involved.
Ms Monaghan said: “His abusive response to the police is explicable by his experiences – some of which he described as traumatic.
“In my submission that is understandable.”
She told the panel that the officers’ various descriptions of Mr Dos Santos’ driving as “appalling”, “horrendous” and “suspicious” – which were given as reasons for pursuing and stopping him – are all labels that “do not reflect the reality”.
The athlete did not speed around corners, indicated before all of his turns, did not drive through red lights and did not skid on the road, the panel heard.
Ms Monaghan said the “exaggerated” descriptions of Mr Dos Santos’ driving were made to “justify what happened next” when officers detained and searched him.
She told the panel that the use of force was “excessive from the outset” and that the sprinter’s “swearing and abuse” did not begin before he was “grabbed and subjected to physical restraint”.
Of the use of force against Ms Williams, which included exiting her from the car and handcuffing her, Ms Monaghan said Acting Sgt Simpson “acted unreasonably” in using “immediate force” on the Team GB athlete.
She also said that the officers who claimed they smelled cannabis “clearly lied”.
Nicholas Yeo, for Pc Casey, said in his closing submission that the IOPC failed to prove on the balance of probabilities that his client could see Mr Dos Santos’ ethnicity at all in the lead up to the search.
Mr Yeo added that the sprinter gave the officer “plenty” of grounds to stop him and that it “cannot be concluded” that the decision had “anything to do with race”.
Alisdair Williamson KC, for Pc Franks, told the panel his client was “doing his duty”.
He said: “He is an honest, hardworking, dedicated young man who has given everything to public service. There is no hint of racism in his career.”
Addressing the suggestion that Pc Franks and others lied about smelling cannabis, Mr Williamson said it is “inconceivable” that there was an “unspoken lying conspiracy” between officers to fabricate the smell.
Acting Sgt Simpson and constables Clapham, Bond and Franks also face allegations that their actions amounted to a breach of professional behaviour standards in relation to the use of force.
They are said to have failed in relation to their levels of authority, respect and courtesy, as well as in their duties and responsibilities.
Pc Casey is also accused of breaching professional standards in the way he carried out his duties and responsibilities or gave orders and instructions.
It is also alleged that the honesty and integrity of Pcs Casey, Clapham, Bond and Franks breached professional behaviour standards.
The hearing continues on Tuesday at 10am.
