Met officer convicted of common assault

An officer has been convicted of assault after spraying a colleague with PAVA spray.

PC Adam Sahel, 34, attached to the Met’s Taskforce, was found guilty of common assault on Wednesday, 5 August following a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

He will be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 23 September.

During the trial, the jury heard that on 26 August 2023, PC Sahel confronted a junior colleague in the yard at Catford police station before spraying him in his face with his police-issue PAVA spray.

The officers’ supervisors repeatedly asked what had happened. PC Sahel asked the victim to lie about the assault, suggesting it would be bad for his career. He also suggested to colleagues that his victim, whose eyes were visibly irritated by the PAVA spray, had been crying or had injured himself.

Despite these attempts by PC Sahel to prevent his victim from reporting the incident, both the victim and colleagues reported the assault.

An investigation was launched and PC Sahel was placed on restricted duties in December 2023.

He was charged on 22 February 2024 with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was found not guilty of causing ABH but guilty of common assault.

Following his conviction, he will now face an accelerated gross misconduct hearing.

Chief Superintendent Chris Green, who leads the Met’s Taskforce, said:

“PC Sahel assaulted one of his own colleagues and then lied to his supervisors about what happened. There is no place in policing for officers who are dishonest and cannot meet the high standards we expect.

“Across the Met, we are committed to improving standards and bringing to justice those among our own ranks who break the law.

“In recent years we’ve worked hard to improve the culture within the Taskforce.

“This includes changing the leadership in some units, improving training and focusing on the standards and values expected of officers.”