Two officers convicted for assaulting 16-year-old boy

Following a trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court which concluded on Friday (December 20), PC Sevda Gonen, 33, was found guilty of two counts of assault by beating – one for using unlawful force when searching the victim and the second for slapping him and holding his hair. PC Stuart Price, 35, was found guilty of one count of using unlawful force when searching the victim.

Both officers, who are attached to the North Area Basic Command Unit, will be sentenced on Thursday, January 24.

The officers were convicted following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in relation to an incident on November 14, 2023 when officers were voluntarily transporting the 16-year-old to hospital for a mental health assessment, as there were no ambulances available to immediately take him.

While en route, the boy lit a cigarette. PC Gonen restrained the teenager while he was handcuffed by PC Price. Both officers carried out a search on the boy in the rear of the van and at no point was the child told why he had been restrained and was being searched.

“During the search, the boy spat on PC Price and PC Gonen covered the child’s mouth and nose with his clothing while holding him by his hair,” the IOPC said.

“The child then appeared unresponsive, and PC Gonen slapped him over 20 times in a five-minute period, which she claimed was to check his responsiveness as she believed the child was pretending to be unconscious.

“An ambulance was requested, however, the officers decided to transport the child to hospital in the police van, where he remained unresponsive until he was transferred to hospital staff.

Area Commander Hayley Sewart, said: “We know this incident had a significant impact on the victim and his family, and I would like to apologise to them for the distress and upset caused. Very sadly, what started out as an attempt to get the right medical attention for a teenager in mental health crisis quickly escalated to the events we saw unfold that day.

“The actions of PC Gonen in slapping the victim are deeply troubling and fall well below the standards and behaviour we expect from our officers. An internal review of the incident raised concerns about her actions and as a result we referred the matter to the IOPC.

“We will continue to exercise such diligence where standards are not being upheld.

“The decision to charge and subsequently convict the officers with assault because the search was deemed to be unlawful, however, raises important questions and we need to now take some time to understand the outcome and carefully consider the possible wider implications for officers and policing in general.”

The MPS said PC Gonen is currently suspended and PC Price remains on restricted duties.

Now that criminal matters have concluded, the force said it will be liaising with the IOPC regarding misconduct procedures.

IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “Police officers must have a lawful reason for detaining and searching any member of the public and all officers are aware that they must provide individuals with certain information during a search.

“These officers made no effort to explain their actions and in fact, both gave the IOPC different accounts as to what powers they were performing the search under. Today a judge has found that the search of the child was unlawful.

“Additionally, PC Gonen’s actions in slapping the child to check he was conscious is not an approved method and was found to be a further unlawful use of force.”

The IOPC investigation began in December 2023 following a mandatory conduct referral from the MPS. In April 2024, it referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised charges against the officers.