Met officer found guilty of kicking boy in throat
A police dog handler has been found guilty of kicking a 15-year-old boy in the throat as he tried to stop and search him.
PC Kevin Peel, 44, attacked the teenager after setting his dog on him in a car park in Vauxhall, south London, on 17 July last year.
District judge Elizabeth Roscoe found Peel guilty of assault and fined him £500 at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
She said she had "absolutely no doubt" the officer kicked the boy.
Peel had denied purposely hurting the teenager.
The victim told the court he was kicked twice and sworn at by the Met officer.
A Section 5 Public Order offence for swearing was dismissed.
The court heard the boy and a number of friends were being pursued by officers in marked cars in the early hours of the morning. He said he had attempted to flee as he was carrying a bag with bolt croppers inside.
After cycling away from the rest of the group, the boy was followed by Peel's car which had its windows down.
"He was telling me to stop or he was going to let the dog out," he said.
The teenager, now 16, said he continued to cycle around the car park but after dumping the bag near some trolleys he stopped and rested against a wall of the supermarket near the police car.
He said the dog then jumped out of the window of the vehicle and bit him and the officer kicked him in the waist.
He said: "He kicked me in my throat the second time. I couldn't breathe properly. I was coughing."
The Met said Peel was on restricted duties pending the result of misconduct proceedings.
Peel was fined £500 and ordered to pay £500 in costs and a £50 victim surcharge.