Three Met officers charged with assault following arrest of 17-year-old boy

Three Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers are due to appear in court next week on assault charges relating to the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in Tooting, following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

PS Dave Mattock, 36, A/PS Callum Ferguson, 26, and PC Jack Beadle, 26, from the MPS’ South West Command Unit, are due to appear at the Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday 24 October charged with assault by beating.

The charges relate to an incident on 2 April this year in which the officers stopped and removed the child and a group of friends from a bus after the officers allegedly saw a disturbance on the bus.

Our investigation followed a referral by the MPS in April after it received a complaint that excessive force was used by the officers.

In September we passed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charges contrary to section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

UPDATE – February 2023: During a two-day hearing at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, PC Jack Beadle, 26 was acquitted of assault by beating. At the conclusion of the trial on 14 February 2023, a district judge found PS Dave Mattock, 37 and A/PS Callum Ferguson, 26, were not guilty on the same charge.

Our investigation which is ongoing, is also considering whether the officers may have breached police professional standards for their use of force and their grounds for the stop and search. We are also investigating an allegation that the boy was inappropriately touched and whether his ethnicity and age played a role in the officers’ actions.

At the conclusion of our investigation we will decide whether the officers should also face disciplinary action.