Two police officers sacked over a stop and search involving British athlete Bianca Williams have been handed their jobs back.
It comes after they won an appeal against a ruling that they lied by saying they could smell cannabis during a stop and search of Ms Williams and her partner, Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos, in 2020.
Former Metropolitan Police officers Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks were dismissed in October last year after a disciplinary panel found they had lied about smelling the drug during the stop.
The finding has been overturned by the Police Appeals Tribunal, which found the original decision was “irrational” and “inconsistent”.
Appeals Tribunal chairman Damien Moore said the officers were “dedicated, hard-working and much respected” and their reputations had been “ruined” by the original findings.
“Both officers did not lie,” he said.
“Both officers will now be reinstated to the Met Police. They should receive back-pay.”
Ms Williams and Mr Dos Santos complained to the police watchdog, saying they were racially profiled during a “disturbing” stop and search.
The police followed the athletes as they travelled home from training in their Mercedes with their baby son – who was three months old at the time – on 4 July 2020.
The couple were handcuffed and searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons after they were pulled over outside their property.
But nothing was found.
Body cam footage of Mr Dos Santos being arrested. Pic: PA
Three other officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Hugh Davies, representing Mr 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.
Team GB’s Bianca Williams at this summer’s Olympics in Paris. Pic: PA
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The Independent Office For Police Conduct (IOPC) brought the case against the five officers and previously said the detention of Mr Dos Santos and Ms Williams was “because they were black” and was “excessive, unreasonable, and unjustified”.
Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos leaving the International Dispute Resolution Centre on Friday.
Pic: PA
After today’s decision, an IOPC spokesperson said: “We note the outcome today of the officers’ appeal and await the written decision by the Police Appeals Tribunal.”
Rick Prior, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in the force, said “justice has been served” that the officers had been “fully exonerated” and their reputations have “rightly been restored”.
He also criticised the IOPC, describing the decision as a “damning indictment” of the watchdog.
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Mr Prior said: “Who holds them [the IOPC] to account for what was a political witch hunt against two hard-working police officers?
“Our colleagues have been dragged through hell and back for four years. For doing nothing more or less than the job the public of London expect us to do.
“It remains astonishing that officers lost their jobs for doing their job.”
The Met Police came under heavy criticism after footage of the stop was posted on social media, showing a distressed Ms Williams concerned about being separated from her baby.