Convicted: Met special constable who assaulted man in custody
Sayeef Hasnain was convicted following a trial at City of London Magistrates' Court - Credit: Google
A serving Met special constable has been handed a community order after being convicted of assault by beating.
Designated detention officer Sayeef Hasnain, who is also attached to the Central East command unit covering Hackney and Tower Hamlets, was found guilty of assaulting a man in custody while on duty.
The court heard that Hasnain was on duty on June 28, 2020 when the man - who had been arrested for grievous bodily harm with intent - was brought in.
The man, handcuffed and accompanied by three officers, refused to have his fingerprints taken and kept his fists clenched.
CCTV footage showed that within 17 seconds of entering the room for fingerprints, the man was struck in the face by Hasnain.
The other officers in the room immediately raised concerns to a supervisor, saying the use of force was disproportionate.
Hasnain was interviewed under caution and provided a prepared statement where he denied assault.
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He stated he had acted in defence of one of the other officers and in lawful execution of his powers to take fingerprints - answering no comment to all other questions.
After being charged, Hasnain appeared at City of London Magistrates' Court for a trial on Tuesday (January 11).
He was convicted the following day and received a 12-month community order to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Hasnain was also ordered to pay court costs of £930 and a victim surcharge of £85.
Detective Chief Superintendent Pete Gardner, who is head of Met Detention, said: "Officers are permitted to use reasonable force when someone is in custody and refusing to comply with the fingerprint process.
"However, Hasnain's actions went way beyond reasonable force and this was immediately highlighted by the officers on the scene at the time.
"The public quite rightly expect the highest standards of professionalism and restraint from police officers and staff and, when they fall below those standards, they are held to account and, in this case, subject to a criminal prosecution."
The Met says misconduct proceedings for Hasnain will follow now that the criminal proceedings have concluded.
