Steven Martin, who served in the firearms command, also verbally abused the 15-year-old, despite him not resisting, as he tried to arrest him, believing he was a suspect in a knife robbery. The boy was charged, but the case against him was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. A disciplinary panel found Martin guilty of gross misconduct, with Martin throwing the punch when the boy was on the floor and handcuffed. Police said the child was not resisting at the time. The incident happened on February 28, 2021. Police were searching for three youths in Leyton, east London, believed to be armed with knives and wanted for an attempted robbery. In addition to the punch, Martin allegedly called the boy a “fucking scumbag.” Martin omitted to mention the punch in his initial description of the incident. He was captured in his video wearing his body. He claimed the use of force was an accident. He pleaded guilty to common assault in January 2022 and was banned from the road for 14 weeks and ordered to pay costs. Sal Naseem of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigated the case, said: “Following our independent investigation, we found a case to answer on the basis that the force used appeared to exceed what was required in the circumstances as given by the boy . he got up and didn’t resist.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Martin is the latest in a string of officers to be charged, convicted or sacked by the Met, whose reputations have been damaged by a series of scandals, undermining public confidence in Britain’s biggest force. DS Thomas Williams, from the Met’s special firearms command, said: “While the use of force is an inevitable aspect of frontline policing, it must be appropriate and proportionate, and officers are rightly scrutinized for their actions. “I hope this demonstrates to Londoners that such behavior is not acceptable by our officers and will be dealt with through the appropriate channels.” The case came to light after a complaint by the boy’s mother. Martin will be added to a list of former officers who will never be allowed to serve on the police force again.
