PC Rajan Solanki, 28, who held his hand around a mentally ill patient’s neck for over 20 seconds, will serve jail time
A Waltham Forest cop who assaulted a mentally unwell man in Whipps Cross Hospital last year will serve a twelve week jail sentence.
PC Rajan Solanki, 28, was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to assault by beating. The officer will also serve a twelve month probationary period after his release from prison.
According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), on 9th June 2024 Solanki, and another officer, attended Whipps Cross to see a man who had been admitted for a mental health assessment.
When the officers arrived, the man, who had allegedly been violent earlier that evening, was already handcuffed to a hospital bed, with one set of handcuffs on each wrist attached to the bed.
At around 1.15am on 10th June Solanki removed the man’s right handcuff and later when trying to reapply the handcuff a struggle took place.
Body worn video presented at court showed Solanki restraining the man and putting his right arm around his neck with his left hand holding his right, in a choke-hold position. The man appeared physically distressed and red-faced and his breathing appeared to be restricted.
While continuing 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*****g choke you out.”
With the assistance of other officers and hospital staff the handcuffs were reapplied with the man face down on the bed, with his arms crossed in front of him. The video showed that Solanki had his arm around the man’s neck for just over 20 seconds.
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.”
Waltham Forest chief superintendent Dan Card said: “We expect officers to conduct themselves properly during all interactions with the public. Dealing with challenging situations is the very essence of police work and officers are trained to use reasonable force when necessary. PC Solanki failed to exercise restraint during this incident, reacting in a way that was both wholly unacceptable and unlawful.
“His early guilty plea has shown an acknowledgement of his wrongdoing. Now that he has been dealt with by the courts we will proceed with misconduct proceedings.”
Solanki is currently suspended from the Met pending the outcome of his misconduct hearing which will take place at an as yet unconfirmed date.
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