Race and lack of accountability involved in Child Q strip search, tribunal hears
Race and lack of accountability are at the heart of why and how a 15 year-old black girl was strip-searched at school by police after being wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis was handled, a misconduct hearing has been told.
The degree of failures surrounding the 'grossly disproportionate search', allegedly without an appropriate adult present, meant the Metropolitan Police officers did not look to protect a potentially vulnerable child, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Their actions could possibly undermine public trust and confidence in the police, the IOPC warned.
The girl, known as Child Q, was strip searched by officers in Hackney, east London, on December 3 2020.
She arrived for a mock exam smelling of cannabis and was taken to the medical room to be strip-searched while teachers remained outside.
This involved the removal of her clothing including underwear, her bending over and having to expose intimate parts of her body while she was menstruating, the panel heard.
Trainee detective constable (TDC) Kristina Linge, Pc Victoria Wray and Pc Rafal Szmydynski, who were all police constables at the time, all deny gross misconduct over their treatment of the girl.
In closing submissions Elliot Gold, for the IOPC, said discrimination is not the sole ground the panel needs to consider, but added: 'The issue of race provides you with the only explanation that is left as to why the officers' failures were so great and why so much went wrong and the only explanation as to why it all went so badly.'
He told the tribunal panel in south-east London, who could consider sacking the officers if gross misconduct is proved: 'The resolution of this case should primarily be forward-facing.
'It is about preventing similar misconduct from recurring in the future, with the consequent damage to trust and confidence in the police, especially within the black community, which these events have caused.'
He added: 'This case shows, that members of racial groups need protection from conduct driven by unrecognised or unconscious bias as much as from conscious and deliberate discrimination.'
Mr Gold also noted 'there are almost no contemporaneous documents or records of this case – why? That's because it is the officers who failed to make them.'
No drugs were found by the teachers before the school's safeguarding deputy called police.
They were called amid fears Child Q could have been carrying drugs for someone, being exploited or groomed in the community – which meant it was a safeguarding issue for her and other school pupils.
Mr Gold said 'there is a potential evidential conflict as to whether the teachers were insistent there should be a search'.
He added: 'There may be criticism of the school calling the police for advice on a safeguarding matter but that shows they did not know what to do, rather than being insistent (on a search) it shows uncertainty.'
Child Q's mother, who was described as a 'supportive' parent, was not present during the strip search and neither was any appropriate adult.
Mr Gold said that 'simply being questioned by two police officers, two white police officers for a young black girl may be daunting.'
Mr Gold said: 'No adult was present to assist child Q during this time – whether during the conversation with child to decide on the search, when the decision was made to perform a search or when the decision was made to perform a strip search.'
PC Linge told Child Q she would be arrested if she failed to consent to being searched, the panel heard.
Child Q told the two officers who searched her that she was menstruating, but the search continued during which her sanitary pad was exposed, the panel was told.
When no drugs were found after the strip search, Child Q's hair was also scoured.
When Child Q said she was on her period this was 'a new piece of evidence' for the officers and it was a chance for the officers to consider the proportionality of what they were doing, according to the IOPC.
Within days of the strip search, Child Q had gone to her doctor with symptoms of anxiety.
Mr Gold went through a series of doctors' notes including one which suggested Child Q had the 'appearance of symptoms of anxiety consistent with PTSD'.
He added: 'No one is likely to suggest that Child Q was anything other than distressed and shaken by a traumatic episode.'
According to the allegations, Pcs Linge and Szmydynski performed a search that exposed the girl's intimate parts when this was 'disproportionate in all the circumstances'.
Pcs Linge and Wray are also accused of performing or allowing the search in a manner which was 'unjustified, inappropriate, disproportionate, humiliating and degrading'.
It is alleged that all of this happened without authorisation, in the absence of an appropriate adult, and with no adequate concern being given to Child Q's age, sex, or the need to treat her as a child, and that the child's race was an effective cause of this.
Pcs Szmydynski and Linge are further accused of giving a 'misleading record' of the search afterwards.
Outrage over Child Q's treatment led to protests outside Stoke Newington Police Station.
Scotland Yard has previously apologised over the incident.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police issue appeal five years after double murder at lockdown party
Murder squad detectives have made a fresh appeal for information on the fifth anniversary of a double killing at a lockdown party. Cheriff Tall, 21, and father of three Abayomi 'Junior' Ajose, 36, were shot dead at a 'spontaneous' party attended by 400 people in Moss Side, Manchester, in the early hours of June 21 2020. The event, with a DJ and PA system, took place in a car park in the middle of a block of flats hours after a Black Lives Matter protest. Detectives are appealing for information if witnesses know or saw someone there who was wearing a black Icon cap with a white logo and a white Nike Air T-shirt with a small black logo over the left side of the chest. A £50,000 reward remains available for key information that leads to the discovery and conviction of the killer, who police believe is from Birmingham. Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) Major Incident Team, said: 'This year marks five years since Cheriff and Junior went out to a party but sadly never returned home to their loved ones. Their families have been left devastated by their loss, and they deserve justice. 'We will never be able to bring back their beloved Cheriff and Junior, but we can see that their killer is brought to justice. We need members of the community to get in touch and help us with some key information. 'There were hundreds of people in the car park that night and we are sure that there are people who saw the incident, even if it was just part of it. 'However, there has been a reluctance for witnesses to come forward with information. 'I understand that people might be scared, and that is normal given what has happened, but there is a range of measures that we can put in place to keep witnesses safe. 'Evidence can be given on video or behind a screen. It could also be that we could apply to the courts for the witness to be anonymous if there are grounds to do so. 'I'd just ask for you to come forward and we can have an honest chat about what we can do, as you don't have to commit to giving a statement in the first instance. 'The person responsible for these murders we believe is from Birmingham. He is not a member of the local Moss Side community, and he should not be protected. 'Anyone who comes forward in this case is not a 'grass' for helping the police, they are simply doing what is right for two families who have had their loved ones taken from them in awful circumstances. No one deserves that. 'When we have worked together in the past, we have achieved great results and if we work together again, we can get justice for Cheriff and Junior. It's not too late to do the right thing.' Anyone with information, however small or insignificant, should contact GMP in confidence on 0161 856 2035, quoting incident number 221 of 21/06/20. Alternatively, reports can be made in confidence to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Information, including pictures and videos, can be uploaded anonymously to the Major Incident Public Portal for Operation Tarnbrook at
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tragedy as man, 20, dies after 'getting into difficulty' in river Tees at Gainford
A body has been pulled from the River Tees after a 20-year-old man got into difficulty in the water on Friday afternoon, police said. It is thought the man entered the water in Gainford, County Durham when he got into difficulty, sparking a huge emergency response. The air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews all rushed to the rural village at about 2.30pm on Friday (June 20) as a major search operation got underway. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) Police confirmed a body was found in the river later on Friday evening. Identification has not taken place but the man's family has been informed. Durham Police said in a statement: 'We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. 'It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. The River Tees downstream at Piercebridge. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) 'Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. 'We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance.' It came one of the hottest days of the year so far as the region baked in a summer heatwave. Read next: Latest pictures after river incident sparks major emergency service response What we know so far as major emergency response underway after river incident Emergency crews swarm County Durham village amid fear for man in river lick here to join our WhatsApp community and get breaking news updates direct to your phone. The air ambulance at the scene. (Image: GNAAS) The police helicopter was seen circling over land near the Tees earlier with the air ambulance also coming in to land. Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up, blocking access to the river banks. Drones were seen in the air as part of the search with rescue workers using dogs in the area.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Prince George's ordered to pay ex-officer $1.8 million in sexual assault case
A United States District Court judge this week ordered Prince George's County to pay $1.8 million to a former county police officer in economic damages stemming from a 2017 sexual assault that she alleged was committed by her supervising officer, an incident that Kara McMurray said in a lawsuit led to retaliation against her after she reported it. McMurray, who left the department in 2021, had already been awarded nearly $400,000 in compensatory damages by a federal jury last March after it found that her former lieutenant, Richard Tallant, and the county were liable for violating her civil rights. On Tuesday, Judge Theodore Chuang ordered the county to pay another $1,862,218 in back pay and wages she would have earned through retirement, according to court documents, bringing McMurray's total award to more than $2 million. The county will also be responsible for attorney fees, said Christopher Griffiths, an attorney representing McMurray. 'It's been a long, hard road for Ms. McMurray. She lost a job she loved,' Griffiths said. 'We're gratified that she is finally getting the compensation that she deserves.' On Friday, a county spokesperson said in a statement that 'the county is aware of the verdict and our office of law is reviewing it.' Chaz Ball, an attorney representing Tallant, who was previously found guilty of a criminal sexual assault charge stemming from the incident, declined to comment. The lawsuit stems from an incident that occurred on Feb. 10, 2017, when McMurray went to the Fraternal Order of Police Prince George's County Lodge 89 after finishing a late-night shift. That night, McMurray socialized with other officers, including Tallant, in the parking lot of the lodge after it closed. When she went into the woods to 'relieve herself,' Tallant followed McMurray and sexually assaulted her, according to court documents. Two other officers who went to look for McMurray in the woods, witnessed the aftermath of the assault that included 'seeing Tallant on the ground and McMurray appearing upset and running back to her car with her pants zipper broken open,' court documents stated. Tallant got up and left in his car. McMurray went back to work shortly after the assault and encountered Tallant. He cornered her in a police hallway and asked her if she wanted him to transfer her, according to court documents. Tallant then began to joke about the situation on several occasions in front of other officers, embarrassing and intimidating McMurray with his statements, court records state. She informed a sergeant of what happened to her a few months later. The sergeant appeared upset by the information, but warned McMurray of Tallant's connections throughout the department and the possibility for retaliation. She chose not to report the assault and transferred to another police squad in fall 2017. Two years later, McMurray told another officer of her assault, and that officer reported the case to the department's internal affairs division, which launched an investigation. Details of the probe, however, were leaked within the department, and McMurray found herself receiving insults and the subject of salacious rumors involving Tallant. She was bullied via social media and her options to transfer to other units within the department were blocked by friends of Tallant while her fellow officers refused to give backup to her during service calls, court records show. McMurray went on to file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that she had experienced a hostile work environment based on her gender. Department leadership refused to take corrective actions to mitigate the rumors and the antagonism against McMurray from colleagues, she said in court documents. She resigned in December 2021 after working as a county police officer since June 2014. According to court documents, a jury found the county liable for violating McMurray's civil rights. The department showed a 'failure to supervise and discipline officers who retaliated against McMurray,' exhibited an indifference to a custom of 'black balling' officers who report officer misconduct and engaged in a practice of subjecting officers who did report such incident to be left without backup while responding to police calls, the jury found. The jury also found Tallant, who is no longer with the department, liable for battery and false imprisonment. He was found guilty of a second-degree sex offense in 2019 and sentenced to seven years in prison before appealing that conviction and being granted a new trial. In assessing the economic damages done to McMurray, Chuang said in his opinion that he disagreed with the county's assertion that she could have found a job at another police department. McMurray 'could not reasonably be expected to seek another position as a police officer and made substantial efforts to mitigate damages' when she sought other employment positions, the judge ruled. He granted McMurray back pay, covering the period between her departure from the department and when he issued his ruling. The damages also included the amount McMurray would have earned had she continued to work for the police department through her retirement eligibility date in October 2033. She was 29 at the time she was forced to resign, according to the court documents. 'Although McMurray remains relatively young, all of her prior education and experience is related to police work, a field from which she is now effectively blackballed,' Chuang said in his opinion. Katie Mettler contributed to this report.
