Paddington officers on trial for racial abuse

THREE teenagers were racially abused by two Metropolitan Police officers in Paddington, a court heard this week. Whistleblower Pc Amechi Onwugbonu told Kingston Crown Court he was working with six colleagues when the alleged incident happened in June 2007

THREE teenagers were racially abused by two Metropolitan Police officers in Paddington, a court heard this week.

Whistleblower Pc Amechi Onwugbonu told Kingston Crown Court he was working with six colleagues when the alleged incident happened in June 2007.

Rosa Dean, prosecuting, said the officers, members of the force's Territorial Support Group, were heading from Paddington Green police station to patrol Lambeth during the evening rush-hour on Friday June 1. They stopped in Sussex Gardens where young males were gathered. The jury heard three of the teenagers - Omar Mohidin, Basil Khan and Ahmed Hegazy - were put in a van and subjected to taunts.

Describing PC Mark Jones' dealings with Mr Mohidin, PC Onwugbonu said: "He started to lay into him verbally." He said that Jones, "said something like 'you're here, robbing people while British soldiers are getting killed in Iraq'".

Pc Jones, 42, is accused of racially aggravated assault against Omar Mohidin and Basil Khan, and misfeasance in public office. Pc Neil Brown, 33, faces charges of racially aggravated threatening behaviour against Ahmed Hegazy and misfeasance in public office. Four other officers - Sgt William Wilson, 52, Pc Steven White, 31, Pc Giles Kitchener, 31 and Pc Simon Prout, 33 - are on trial charged with misfeasance. All deny charges.