By Emily Caulkett-
A serving Met Police officer has been charged in connection with an alleged assault while he was off duty.
PC Bilal Naveed, of the North East Basic Command Unit (BCU) which covers Newham and Waltham Forest, was arrested on Friday (April 21) in connection with the alleged incident on Saturday, April 1.
He has been charged with assault and perverting the course of justice and was remanded in custody to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court today (April 24).For the latest crime news in East London, join our East London Crime Watch group on Facebook.
The officer has been suspended from the Met and was remanded in custody before his court appearance today at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court.
He stands accused of using his position to try and contact witnesses in his assault case, which has led to a charge of perverting the course of justice for the suspended public servant.
PC Naveed has been reported to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) and the Directorate of Public Standards (DPS) in connection with his case.
It is the latest setback for the Met which has seen several high-profile police misconduct cases following the wide-ranging reviews ordered in the wake of the horrific murder of Sarah Everard in 2020 by serving officer Wayne Couzens.
Couzens was later convicted of raping and murdering Everard before being given a whole life sentence.
The convicted former cop’s case was followed by news of the horrific spate of sexual assaults and rapes committed by PC David Carrick , who was a serving member of the elite group of firearms officers who protect politicians and dignitaries.
Those cases led to the highly consequential review led by Baroness Louise Casey published last month in which she concluded the Met to be institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynistic.
Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, has since vowed to institute more rigid vetting procedures, and eliminate criminals from their midst.