Firearms officers acquitted over non-fatal shooting
Two firearms officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) have been acquitted of charges related to a non-fatal shooting after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offered no evidence against them.
Police Constables Matthew Walton and Benjamin Hughes, both attached to the Specialist Firearms Command, were due to stand trial on charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent following a 2018 incident in Wimbledon, South London during which a 23-year-old man received gunshot wounds.
At the time of the shooting, MPS officers from the Serious Crime Directorate, assisted by firearms officers, were carrying out a pre-planned operation into a suspected cash in transit robbery.
An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was concluded in November 2019 and the CPS subsequently authorised charges against the officers.
The IOPC also decided the officers had a case to answer for gross misconduct as they may have breached police professional standards in their use of force. In June 2020, the IOPC directed the MPS to organise a disciplinary hearing.
A statement issued by the IOPC said it was understood that the decision to drop the charges arose from “the position in a related prosecution” but that as those proceedings are ongoing, no further comment could be made.
