Scotland Yard 'bully' Ali Dizaei jailed for four years
Met commander Ali Dizaei found guilty of misconduct
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Monday, 08, Feb 2010 07:34
By Richard James.
Metropolitan police commander Ali Dizaei has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of threatening and falsely arresting a man.
The 47-year-old was found guilty of misconduct in public office and attempting to pervert the course of justice by a jury at Southwark crown court on Monday.
This afternoon he was sentenced to four years in jail and ordered to spend two years behind bars with another two years suspended on license.
Prosecutors in the trial had claimed the police commander had attacked Iraqi Waab al-Baghdadi, 24, before arresting and attempting to frame him in a row over money.
It was alleged the men had disagreed over a fee Mr al-Baghdadi claimed he was owed for designing a website for the officer.
The prosecution claimed the row came to a head when the men clashed outside a west London restaurant in July 2008.
Dizaei arrested the 24-year-old following the incident, claiming Mr al-Baghdadi had made threatening gestures towards him and said he decided to arrest him for a public order offence.
The president of the National Black Police Association though was accused of engaging in a "wholesale abuse of power for personal motives" by the prosecution and was today found guilty of misconduct.
Dizaei is no stranger to controversy, in 2003 he was cleared over corruption charges and two years ago was suspended at the height of a race row within the Metropolitan force.
Responding to the verdict, Nick Hardwick, chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said: "Dizaei behaved like a bully and the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them.
"Mr al-Baghdadi has shown tremendous strength of character throughout this case – from the moment he was confronted by Ali Dizaei, throughout our investigation, and finally when giving evidence at court.
"The greatest threat to the reputation of the police service is criminals in uniform like Dizaei. Corruption comes in many forms and remains a threat to the police service. It requires constant vigilance to fight it. Integrity must not be negotiable. I think the public will now be looking to police leadership for reassurance that they will not allow political and financial pressures to prevent them from robustly tackling corruption.
"The behaviour of Dizaei contrasts with that of the Met officers who spoke out and gave evidence in court against him. This verdict should send a message to any other corrupt officer that nobody is untouchable but I hope it will strengthen the resolve of all those decent officers who responsibilities require them to combat or speak out against corruption."
Met commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, added: "Commander Ali Dizaei has been a police officer for nearly 25 years. It is extremely disappointing and concerning that this very senior officer has been found guilty of abusing his position and power.
"The public expect the police to treat them fairly and honestly and we are resolved to tackle corruption at every opportunity. He has breached that trust and damaged not only his own reputation but that of the entire police service. I am proud of the officers who gave evidence in this case and supported the IPCC investigation.
"Bearing in mind his rank and disgraceful behaviour he should not be surprised at the severity of his sentence."