Defence Team Secures Final Written Warnings in High-Profile Met Police Gross Misconduct Case

Alex Stein, Ashraf Khan, and Thomas Daniel were instructed by Sam Haldane of JMW Solicitors to represent three Metropolitan Police officers accused of gross misconduct arising from the strip-search of a juvenile following an arrest for robbery. Each officer accepted the search had taken place but denied any intent to breach professional standards.

The case attracted significant attention because it raised complex legal and procedural questions under PACE Code C (Annex A) and the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020, against a background of limited operational guidance at the time. The defence focused on the proper interpretation of the “urgency” exception under Annex A, paragraph 11, the absence of any contemporaneous policy or training on out-of-custody strip-searches, and the proportionate application of the College of Policing’s Outcomes Guidance when considering sanction.

Following a two-week contested hearing involving multiple witnesses and detailed legal argument, the disciplinary panel accepted that all three officers had acted in pursuit of legitimate policing purposes and with honesty and integrity. After hearing extensive mitigation, the panel imposed Final Written Warnings for a period of two years, rejecting dismissal as disproportionate.

This outcome reflects the measured advocacy and detailed legal analysis advanced by Alex, Ashraf and Tom, who demonstrated that systemic training deficiencies, rather than deliberate misconduct, lay at the heart of the case.