A court trial found Perry Lathwood “manhandled” and wrongly arrested a woman for bus fare evasion in front of her young son.
Accounts given by the woman and hospital notes indicated that as a result of the incident, she suffered pain in her wrists, her right arm, which was held by the officer, and shoulder, with bruising noted by a doctor.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “Today a judge has found that the use of force by PC Lathwood against the woman after her arrest, including the use of handcuffs and holding onto her arm, was unlawful and he has been convicted of assault.
“Any use of force by officers should be reasonable, proportionate and justifiable in the circumstances.
“This was a high-profile incident that caused significant concern, particularly in the Croydon community, after footage of the incident was published online.
“We carried out an independent and impartial investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident, including the actions of the police officers involved.
“The decision to refer a file of evidence to the CPS to consider criminal charges is not something we take lightly and this was done after careful consideration of the evidence, including liaison with the CPS.”
He will be sentenced at a later date.
