Met Police misconduct found after Black boy mistakenly searched in robbery investigation

Footage went viral of De-Shaun Joseph, 14, restrained on the ground by Met Police officers in Croydon in 2022

A disciplinary panel has found that actions by two Metropolitan Police officers amounted to misconduct when they stopped and restrained a 14-year-old Black boy.

The officers handcuffed and restrained the teenager, De-Shaun Joseph, on the ground during a stop and search in Blackhorse Lane, Croydon on 23 June 2022.

Footage captured by a passerby went viral on social media and the teenager’s mother lodged a complaint.

Police Constable McCorley Clewes and former PC Benjamin Morgan faced a hearing on Friday following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the incident in south London.

The officers, who were part of the Violent Crime Taskforce (VCTF), received a report of a street robbery of a mobile phone from a 13-year-old-boy by four Black boys aged about 14, three wearing black puffer coats and one wearing a dark blue slim hoodie.

De-Shaun Joseph – referred to as “Child B” by the IOPC – was spotted nearby, alone and wearing a hoodie. He remained handcuffed for three minutes while he was searched on the ground and for nearly four minutes afterwards.

Nothing was found on him and IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “Child B was 14, small in stature, and on his own with four officers present during the stop and search.

“The officers failed to take into his account his age, keeping him in handcuffs for longer than necessary after nothing was found during the search.

“Their actions and use of force were clearly of concern to a number of bystanders who raised issues at the time to the officers.”

Police detained Child B after reports of a robbery (Andre Langlois)

The teenager, who the IOPC said was visibly upset, told officers that he had come from school and was wearing school uniform, under his hoodie.

In October 2022, De-Shaun’s mother, Janet, told ITV news: “We’re pushing for the De-Shaun Joseph Justice Bill which will provide a child-centred approach when it comes to stop and search.

“Too many children, nameless and faceless, have been abused by the system. So we are pushing off the back of what’s happened to De-Shaun for change.”

This week, an independent panel found that the officers’ actions amounted to misconduct rather than gross misconduct for breaching the police standards of professional behaviour around the use of force for handcuffing him for longer than was necessary. It also found misconduct relating to equality and diversity for failing to make reasonable adjustments for the child.

The allegations that PC Morgan had repeatedly asked the teenager for his details, when he had no power to insist on being told them, and threatened to contact his school were upheld, in breach of the standard relating to integrity.

PC Clewes was also found to have breached the standard of authority, respect and courtesy given his manner when speaking with the child’s mother and members of the public. He was given a final written warning for two years.

PC Morgan could not be sanctioned as he had already resigned from the force.

The hearing’s panel recommended the Met Police roll out refresher training on its policy relating to visual identification of suspects and its implementation for officers.