Two London police officers who were sacked over a stop-and-search of two black athletes have been given their jobs back after they won an appeal against their dismissal on Friday.
British sprinter Bianca Williams and her partner, Portuguese 400m runner Ricardo dos Santos, were followed and then pulled over by police outside their house in west London in July 2020 because officers said they were suspicious about how the vehicle was being driven.
Footage of the incident was widely shared on social media showing Williams – a Commonwealth Games gold medallist – handcuffed and in a distressed state. The couple’s baby was in the back of the car when they were being searched.
The incident led to accusations that the couple had been stopped simply because they were Black and in an expensive car.
Officers Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks were on Friday reinstated after a police appeal panel overturned a previous finding of gross misconduct against them which said they had lied about smelling cannabis at the time of the incident.
“The evidence has shown that the stop and search and the actions of the officers did not amount to misconduct. However, stop and search is most effective when used with the trust and confidence of Londoners,” London’s Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell said.
Following Friday’s hearing, the BBC reported that the Police Appeals Tribunal had found the original decision to be “irrational” and “inconsistent”. The full written judgment is yet to be published.
The original misconduct panel noted in its report last year that they could not discount the possibility that there may have been a smell of cannabis from another source, given that “cannabis is regularly smelt on the streets of London.”
Dos Santos said the appeal outcome was “disappointing” and that the couple planned to challenge it, according to a statement shared by Jules Carey, who has represented the athletes since the incident.
