CCTV showed the volunteer officer hit the man only 17 seconds after entering the room
By Victoria Munro

A volunteer cop who hit a handcuffed man in the face at Leyton’s police custody suite has been found guilty of assault.

Sayeef Hasnain, a special constable, was sentenced to 150 hours of community service and ordered to pay more than £1,000 by City of London Magistrates’ Court on 12th January.

CCTV footage showed that, on 28th June 2020, Hasnain hit a suspect only seventeen seconds after entering the room after the man clenched his fists to prevent his fingerprints being taken.

Three other officers present raised concerns with their superior, after which Hasnain claimed he had been defending one of them from the suspect.

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Detective Chief Superintendent Pete Gardner said: “Officers are permitted to use reasonable force when someone is in custody and refusing to comply with the fingerprint process.

“However, Hasnain’s actions went way beyond reasonable force and this was immediately highlighted by the officers on the scene at the time.

“The public quite rightly expect the highest standards of professionalism and restraint from police officers and staff and, when they fall below those standards, they are held to account and, in this case, subject to a criminal prosecution.”

Hasnain will also be subject to a misconduct hearing, where he could be dismissed from the police and prevented from rejoining in future.

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