PC fined £1,500 for assaulting woman in wrongful fare evasion arrest

A Met police constable has been fined £1,500 for assaulting a woman when he wrongfully arrested her for bus fare evasion in front of her young son.

PC Perry Lathwood, attached to the Road Traffic Policing Command, was found guilty of assault by beating in May and was sentenced on Friday.

The ruling comes in relation to an incident on July 21, 2023, when Jocelyn Agyemang was left with bruising on her wrist, arm and shoulder after she was wrongly arrested by PC Lathwood for suspected fare evasion.

Ms Agyemang was later let go and her handcuffs were removed after officers confirmed her fare was valid.

The IOPC began its investigation after a complaint referral from the Met, which was made on Ms Agyemang’s behalf in the days after the incident took place in Whitehorse Road.

The arrest was captured on PC Lathwood’s bodycam footage. The footage shows Ms Agyemang repeatedly asking the officer to get off her, telling him he is hurting her and she has not done anything wrong. 

As the altercation escalates, Ms Agyemang and her young son become increasingly more distressed. The boy can be heard crying in the footage as he watches police handcuff his mother.

Since the incident the Met said it has stopped supporting Transport for London fare evasion operations, but will continue its presence on the bus network, tackling violent crime. 

Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “This verdict is a huge setback to our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners. We will learn the lessons from this and we apologise to the woman and the wider community who were deeply affected.”

On top of the fine, Lathwood was ordered to pay £200 to the victim in compensation, £650 in costs and a victim surcharge of £600.

He will have to pay the total £2,950 within 56 days.

Pictured top: A still taken from PC Lathwood’s bodycam footage  (Picture: IOPC)