Pc Solanki, on the Met’s North East Area Command Unit, was jailed for 12 weeks and body-worn video footage captured him with his arm around the man’s neck for over 20 seconds
A Metropolitan Police officer who assaulted a physically distressed man by putting him in a choke-hold position as he lay in a hospital bed has been jailed.
Pc Rajan Solanki, 28, had attended an east London hospital with another officer in June last year to see a man who had been admitted for a mental health assessment and was handcuffed to the bed – with one set of handcuffs on each wrist.
The man had allegedly been violent earlier in the evening and, when Pc Solanki removed his right handcuff and later attempted to replace it, a struggle ensued.
Body-worn video footage presented at court showed Pc Solanki restraining the man and putting his right arm around his neck with his left hand holding his right, in a choke-hold position.
As he continued to hold his arm around the man’s neck, Pc Solanki said: “Put your arm on the cuff or I’m going to choke you out” and “I swear to God, I will f****** choke you out.”
The man appeared physically distressed and red-faced and his breathing appeared restricted.
With the assistance of other officers and hospital staff, the handcuffs were re-applied with the man face down on the bed and his arms crossed in front of him.
The video showed Pc Solanki had his arm around the man’s neck for just over 20 seconds.
Pc Solanki, on the Met’s North East Area Command Unit, was sentenced to 12 weeks at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday (7 Feb) after pleading guilty to assault by beating, the Independent Office for Police Misconduct (IOPC) said.
The police watchdog said in addition to his jail sentence, Pc Solanki will also serve a 12-month probationary period after his release.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Officers are trained to use force that is reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances. In this incident, Pc Solanki used unlawful force when he put his arm around a man’s neck while he was handcuffed to a hospital bed.
“His actions could have had serious consequences, and he has now been convicted for assault. The seriousness of his offending has been reflected in his prison sentence.”
The watchdog, which investigated the incident, said it will be liaising with Scotland Yard over disciplinary matters “in due course”.
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