Why has police officer who hit disabled teenager with a baton not been prosecuted?
Disabled campaigners have asked why a police officer is not facing prosecution.
In this Disability News Service article Andrew Lee, director of People First (Self Advocacy), which is based in London and is run by and for people with learning difficulties, said the incident made him feel “sick to my stomach”.
“I felt: this is a crime. This will have an impact on the person with learning difficulties for the rest of their life.
It reinforces our lack of trust in the police, our belief that we do not have access to justice.
It reinforces all of our beliefs that if this happens to me, I will not be believed.
I think the violence will make us fear that we are not safe in our own communities.
I fear that people with learning difficulties will be frightened to go out and will constantly think, ‘Who can I trust, who will believe me?’ ”
He said Kemp “needs to face a court”, but he said there should also be a way for the Metropolitan police as an organisation to face criminal proceedings for the actions of its officer.
Lee said that London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, who is responsible for policing in the capital, should also be held to account for what happened.
You can read the full article here
