A METROPOLITAN police officer headbutted a bar manager after he was accused of breaking Covid rules on a boozy night out with colleagues.
PC Luke Wilson, 28, squared up to Johnny White at the Be At One cocktail bar in central London after staff complained about the off-duty cops flouting coronavirus rules.
3
PC Wilson will be sentenced for the assault later this month
3
The officers denied breaking any of the covid rules
Westminster Magistrates Court heard officers had flashed their warrant cards at staff when they arrived at the bar.
Other officers then told staff to “lighten up” when they were asked to stick to the rule of six in the bar.
Wilson, who had served with the force since 2015, attacked Mr White when the manager challenged the group, from the Lewisham emergency response team, during their team-bonding evening.
He questioned why they were moving around and having more than six people sitting together at the table.
Wilson claimed that he had acted in self-defence, but the court dismissed his defence as “not honest or credible” according to the Standard.
Westminster Magistrates Court heard the staff at the cocktail bar braced themselves for a large booking after they received several bookings for tables of six.
Mr White said he thought off-duty officers flashing their warrant cards was “inappropriate” but he allowed the group to enter on the condition they stick to their allocated tables.
He told the court: “As the night progressed, they started acting like the normal general public, switching places, switching seats to be with friends.
“I was shocked by the behaviour — we spent quite a lot of the night running around the venue, asking people to return to their seats.
“When we found out we had a large amount of police officers, we joked that this should be pretty easy.
“It ended up being the worst day of my hospitality career. I was shocked and have lost trust, especially in the Met.”
The officers reportedly told staff: “Lighten up, what’s wrong with you? We are trying to have a good time.”
The row boiled over after a bottle of prosecco was ordered with eight glasses, and Mr White stepped into ask the officers to abide by the rule of six.
They denied that they were breaking the rules, and Wilson squared up to Mr White before headbutting him.
Mr White said the bar had been closed for more than a year, staff had been furloughed and made redundant, and they reopened with “extreme restrictions”.
An acting inspector and at least four sergeants were on the night out, in a group of between 20 and 25 officers.
Sergeant Ryan Snadden conceded that White “would have had concerns” as the CCTV footage shows more than six people sitting together.
‘NO CONFIDENCE’
Finding Wilson guilty, District Judge Briony Clarke said it was “clear” from the CCTV footage that the officers were not sticking to the rules, and Wilson was the “aggressor”.
Mr White has made a complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct about the behaviour of officers that night.
The Met Police confirmed it has received a complaint which is being assessed.
PC Wilson was found guilty of one count of assault by beating and will be sentenced later this month.
It comes after Dame Cressida Dick resigned in shame from her role as commissioner of the Met after a string of scandals.
The Met has faced an avalanche of criticism over her handling of the Sarah Everard case, horrific WhatsApp messages sent by officers in her force, and the vile officers who took photos of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
Ms Dick was also hauled over the coals for her handling of the Euro football final in July after disturbing scenes of violence outside Wembley Stadium were projected around the globe.
Ms Dick resigned just hours after insisting she was doing a good job and had “absolutely no intention of going anywhere”.
In a statement, she confirmed the mayor “no longer has confidence” in her leadership, and she had “no choice” but to step down.
The Met has recently been criticised over its handling of the “partygate” saga, with Sue Gray’s report into alleged lockdown breaches in Westminster “watered down” by the force.
3
A court heard that Wilson was the ‘aggressor’ in the situation
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17918962/met-police-officer-headbutts-bar-manager-covid-rules/
