Strip-searched Hackney teenager to sue Met Policeon March 18, 2022 at 5:41 pm

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The 15-year-old black girl was taken out of an exam and strip-searched by two female Met officers.

People protesting the teenager's treatment outside an east London police station

A black schoolgirl who was strip-searched after being wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis is suing the Met Police.

The 15-year-old, also known as Child Q, is also taking civil action against her school, the law firm Bhatt Murphy said.

A safeguarding report this month found the search was unjustified and racism was “likely” to have been a factor.

Speaking via her lawyers, the girl said she wanted “cast-iron commitments to ensure this never happens again”.

In a statement, she said: “I want to thank the thousands of people across the world of all backgrounds who have offered me support – both publicly and through messages conveyed to my legal team – following everything I’ve been through.

“I know I am not alone.”

Hundreds of people have joined a protest organised by Hackney Cop Watch at Stoke Newington police station.

Protesters hold a 'withdraw consent from police powers' sign

During the incident, the girl was taken out of an exam to the school’s medical room and strip-searched by two female Met police officers, while teachers remained outside. No other adult was present and her parents were not contacted.

Her intimate body parts were exposed and she was made to take off her sanitary towel, according to the review. No drugs were found.

The victim’s mother told the safeguarding review that after the strip-search, her daughter had been “asked to go back into the exam” she had been sitting with no teacher asking about her welfare.

Her family said the girl had changed from “top of the class” to “a shell of her former bubbly self”, and she was now self-harming and required therapy.

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has written to the head of the police watchdog urging them to consider a case of gross misconduct.

However, the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said its investigation was complete and its report was being “finalised”.

It added three police constables had been served with notices last year advising them they were under investigation for misconduct, “over their roles in either carrying out the strip search or involvement in supervising it”.

Scotland Yard has said the officers’ actions were “truly regrettable” and it “should never have happened”.

Met Police Commander Dr Alison Heydari said: “While we await the findings of the IOPC investigation, we have already taken action to ensure that our officers and staff have a refreshed understanding of the policy for conducting a ‘further search’ and advice around dealing with schools, ensuring that children are treated as children.”

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