Two former Metropolitan Police officers have been handed their jobs back and will receive back-pay after winning an appeal against a ruling that they lied by saying they could smell cannabis during a stop and search of British athlete Bianca Williams and her partner.
Former Met Pcs Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks were dismissed in October last year after a disciplinary panel found they lied about smelling the drug when they pulled over Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos and his partner Williams on July 4 2020.
The police followed the athletes as they drove back from training to their west London home with their baby son, then three-months-old, in the back seat of their Mercedes.
Now, the disciplinary panel finding has been overturned by the Police Appeals Tribunal which found the original decision was “irrational” and “inconsistent”.
Former Pcs Clapham and Franks were “dedicated, hard-working and much respected officers” whose reputations had been “ruined” by the original findings, Appeals Tribunal chairman Damien Moore said.
“Both officers did not lie,” Mr Moore continued. “Both officers will now be reinstated to the Met Police.
“They should receive back-pay.”
On Thursday the Police Appeals Tribunal hearing was told the original decision had been “inherently unreasonable”.
Hugh Davies, representing Clapham, said the officers had “every reason to suspect criminality” when they pulled Dos Santos over.
Mr Davies said another officer at the scene had smelled cannabis, but was not found to have lied.
During the incident, officers handcuffed the couple and they were searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons, but nothing was found.
The force came under heavy criticism after footage of the stop was posted on social media, showing a distressed Williams who was concerned about being separated from her baby.