A Metropolitan police officer accused of grievous bodily harm after a black man was left paralysed from the chest down has been named after losing a bid to keep his name from the public domain.
Imran Mahmood, 35, was charged with grievous bodily harm on 31 March and had sought anonymity from Westminster magistrates court after expressing concern of Jordan Walker-Brown’s alleged links to criminal gangs, according to the PA news agency, which sought submission of the officer’s name alongside other media organisations.
Jordan Walker-Brown, 25, was left with life-changing injuries after he was shot with a Taser and fell from a wall in Haringey, north London, while being pursued by police in May 2020. He initially said he believed he was targeted because he is a black man.
Dismissing the application for anonymity, the chief magistrate Paul Goldspring described the risk as “speculative” and said it is “a quantum leap from the fact that it can happen, to cogent evidence that such an imminent threat exists in this case”.
Goldspring added: “The police habitually manage such risks in the community by a variety of measures, which may well be appropriate in the present case, but anonymity is not justified.”
Appearing in court by video, Mahmood of Plaistow, east London, indicated a non-guilty plea in his last court appearance on Thursday.
The constable was released on bail and will appear at Southwark crown court on 26 May. Mahmood was charged in March after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.
According to official figures, black people are five times more likely to have force used against them by police in England and Wales than white people. Nearly 7,000 Met officers carry Taser stun guns, with numbers expected to rise to 10,000 by 2022.
Police said any potential misconduct matters would be considered pending the outcome of the court proceedings.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/29/met-officer-accused-of-paralysing-black-man-loses-bid-for-anonymity
