Officer sentenced for assaulting man in hospital

PC Rajan Solanki, aged 28 and based on the North East Area Command Unit, was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday (February 7) after pleading guilty to assault by beating following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The officer will also serve a 12-month probationary period after his release from prison.

On June 9, 2024, PC Solanki, and another officer, attended an East London hospital to attend to a man who had been admitted for a mental health assessment.

When the officers arrived, the man, who had allegedly been violent earlier that evening, was already handcuffed to a hospital bed, with one set of handcuffs on each wrist attached to the bed.

At approximately 1.15am on June 10, PC Solanki removed the man’s right handcuff and later when trying to reapply the handcuff a struggle took place, the IOPC said.

It added: “Body-worn video presented at court showed PC Solanki restraining the man and putting his right arm around his neck with his left hand holding his right, in a choke-hold position. The man appeared physically distressed and red-faced and his breathing appeared to be restricted.

“While continuing to hold his arm around the man’s neck, PC Solanki said, ‘Put your arm on the cuff, or I’m going to choke you out”‘and ‘I swear to god, I will f…… choke you out’.

“With the assistance of other officers and hospital staff the handcuffs were reapplied with the man face down on the bed, with his arms crossed in front of him. The video showed that PC Solanki had his arm around the man’s neck for just over 20 seconds.”

IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said: “Officers are trained to use force that is reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances. In this incident, PC Solanki used unlawful force when he put his arm around a man’s neck while he was handcuffed to a hospital bed.

“His actions could have had serious consequences, and he has now been convicted for assault. The seriousness of his offending has been reflected in his prison sentence.”

The IOPC investigation began following a mandatory conduct referral from the force in June 2024.

“During the investigation we interviewed PC Solanki, reviewed police body worn footage and hospital CCTV. We also obtained statements from a number of other police officers who were present,” the IOPC said.

“In November 2024, we sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charge.

“Now that criminal matters have concluded, we will be liaising with the Met in due course on disciplinary matters.”