The news follows an appeal victory by former Metropolitan Police officers Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks, who were initially accused of lying about smelling cannabis during a 2020 stop-and-search involving Ms. Williams and her partner, Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos.
Clapham and Franks were dismissed last October after a disciplinary panel concluded they lied about detecting the smell of cannabis. However, the Police Appeals Tribunal has now overturned that decision, describing the original ruling as “irrational” and “inconsistent.”
Damien Moore, chairman of the Appeals Tribunal, described the officers as “dedicated, hard-working and much respected” and noted that their reputations had been “ruined” by the initial findings.
“Both officers did not lie,” Moore said. “Both officers will now be reinstated to the Met Police. They should receive back-pay.” Ms. Williams and Mr. Dos Santos previously filed a complaint with the police watchdog, claiming that they had been racially profiled during what they described as a “disturbing” stop and search.
What Exactly Happened?
The incident occurred on July 4, 2020, as the athletes were returning home from training in their Mercedes with their three-month-old baby. They were pulled over, handcuffed, and searched on suspicion of possessing drugs and weapons, but nothing was found.
Hugh Davies, representing Mr. Clapham, argued that the officers had “every reason to suspect criminality” when they pulled over Mr. Dos Santos. He added that another officer on the scene had also claimed to smell cannabis but was not found to have lied.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had brought the case against five officers, asserting that the detention of Mr. Dos Santos and Ms. Williams was “because they were black” and described it as “excessive, unreasonable, and unjustified.”
Following the tribunal’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, stated that “justice has been served” and that the officers had been “fully exonerated” with their reputations “rightly restored.” He also criticized the IOPC, calling the tribunal’s decision a “damning indictment” of the watchdog.
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 faced significant backlash after video footage of the stop was shared on social media, depicting a visibly distressed Ms. Williams, worried about being separated from her baby.
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