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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Policeman jailed for homeless assault

May 23 2009
Judge accuses former Met officer of an abuse of power A former Metropolitan Police officer who attacked a drunken rough sleeper while on duty has been jailed for 12 weeks. PC Andrew Graham was found guilty of common assault at City of Westminster Magistrates Court in October for attacking Mahdi Jamal in January this year. In response to verbal abuse, Mr Graham took Mr Jamal aside, knocking his legs from underneath him and kicking him several times whilst he lay on the ground. On sentencing Mr Graham, Judge Michael Snow accepted the victim was a "violent and obnoxious drunk". But he said: "The man was vulnerable because he was drunk and who would believe him when he claimed you had assaulted him? You were on duty in full uniform, which gave you significant power over this man, and you abused this power." Mr Graham was reported by two other colleagues and bought to book by the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards. Detective Inspector Helen O'Sullivan, of the DPS, said: "This behaviour fell far below the high standards the Metropolitan Police expects from its officers. I would like to praise the officers who did the right thing and came forward." It is unclear why Mr Graham, 37, who has a young daughter and whose wife is four months pregnant, committed the offence. Stress and tiredness were cited as possible reasons during the trial. The ex-officer, who had been awarded a police commendation for bravery in 2004 for helping save the life of a man who had been stabbed, quit the Met after he realised his position had become untenable.
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