A former Met Police officer who grabbed a man by the throat and threw him to the ground has been banned from police indefinitely.
Archie Payne, 28, grabbed 26-year-old Scott Rooney by the throat and threw him to the ground after responding to reports of a fight in Romford on January 5, 2020.
His colleague, PC Jack Wood, hit Jake Smith, 26, with his baton during the same incident, leaving a cut on his skull.
Rooney, a railway engineer, had told a court how he was attacked after trying to take a picture of PC Wood and his officer number outside the Worlds Inn on South Street.
Body-worn footage showed Payne grabbing Mr Rooney by the throat, pushing him against the wall and laying on top of him.
Former PC Archie Payne, pictured, has been permanently banned from serving as a police officer after his appeal against an assault conviction at Southwark Crown Court failed. He is due to appear in court again on October 3, where a judge may want to change his sentence
Mr. Rooney had touched the lapel of PC Wood’s jacket, whereupon Payne told him ‘no need to touch him’.
Payne is then heard saying ‘tell you what size, we’ll deal with you’ as he brings Mr. Rooney to the floor.
The Met Police received a formal complaint about the violence used by both officers.
In July 2020, Payne was charged with assault by hitting. He was finally convicted in May 2021 after a trial in Hendon and then the City of London Magistrates’ Court.
Last June he was ordered to pay a total of £1,632 in damages and legal costs.
The former PC appealed against his conviction in June this year, but the appeal was not upheld.
Southwark Crown Court had heard that Payne left the police and became a train driver.
His sentence for the attack will be heard again on October 3, following his failed appeal
A Met Police misconduct panel found that Payne had violated standards of professional conduct regarding “ridiculous behavior” and “use of violence.”
Assistant Commissioner Amanda Pearson, who chaired the panel, decided that former PC Payne would have been fired without notice.
It was also decided that his name would be added to the College of Policing’s blocked list.
Those on the list cannot be employed by the Police, Local Police Agencies (PCCs), the IOPC or HMIC.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, commander of the East Area Ward, said: “Police officers have powers that allow them to use force.
Mr Rooney, a railway engineer, said he was the victim of an unprovoked attack after trying to take a photo of Pc Wood and his officer number
“It is expected and required that when officials use those powers, they are used in a reasonable, proportionate and lawful manner.
“In any case, an officer must justify the use of force.
“It is clear that these standards were not met in this incident.”
The judge, Recorder Ben Douglas-Jones, KC, dismissed Payne’s appeal earlier this year: ‘Mr Rooney was calm and not disorderly all the time. He was looking for evidence and information from the officers.
“We are sure Mr. Rooney has requested permission to take the photo. His hands were behind his back to show he wasn’t threatening.
“He came back and wanted to gather information and did so in an orderly manner.
“PC Payne acted violently and there was no basis for it.
“Mr. Rooney’s body language showed no sign of threatening behavior.”
‘There was no ground for an arrest and no reason, right or wrong, to arrest’ [Mr Rooney].
‘[PC Payne] caused a violent episode that was totally unnecessary.”
GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING: Jake Smith, 26, was left with a gaping head wound
PC Wood denied but was convicted of assault in which Scott actually physically harmed and assault by beating Rooney after a trial at the City of London Magistrates’ Court last year.
He was sentenced to six months in prison with a 12-month suspension after a judge took into account his exemplary record.