Haringey Council and Black Equity Organisation have spoken out about the tasering which left a 25-year-old paralysed

A jury verdict that acquitted a Metropolitan Police officer who tasered a young man during an incident in Finsbury Park, leaving him with life-changing injuries, has sparked outcry across the borough.

Jordan Walker-Brown was tasered by PC Imran Mahmood during a patrol on 4th May 2020 on Burgoyne Road, Finsbury Park. As a result, Jordan fell from a wall, hitting his head on the pavement and breaking his back – leaving him paralysed from the chest down.

The Crown Prosecution Service brought charges against Mahmood for a single count of “unlawfully and maliciously” inflicting grievous bodily harm after the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police complaints watchdog, carried out an investigation following a mandatory referral from the Met Police.

Yesterday (11th May), a jury found Mahmood not guilty, having heard Mahmood tell Southwark Crown Court that he believed Jordan had a weapon in his possession and could be dangerous. Jordan had not pulled out any weapon and presented no “physical threat”, prosecutors told the court.

Leader of Haringey Council, Cllr Peray Ahmet, issued the statement: “We remain convinced that this incident should never have happened, and that action and leadership are needed from the police to ensure that no young person in Haringey has to experience what Jordan went through.

“As a council we are committed to building a borough where everyone feels safe and secure. To achieve this, we need a police service which we and our residents can be confident to work with.

“Incidents such as this are one of the reasons why confidence in the police is so low among our residents, especially members of our Black communities who disproportionately experience heavy-handed police tactics.

“In March we called on the Met to implement in full the findings of Baroness Casey’s review, and we reiterate this call today. We will continue to engage with the police and challenge them to prevent incidents like this from happening in future.

“It remains clear that we need root and branch reform of the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure that it employs officers of integrity who care about and are rooted in the communities they serve, and that the right processes are in place to ensure that force is only used when necessary to protect others from harm.

“This case also shows the dangers that tasers pose and raises questions about the Met’s plans for rolling out more of these devices to frontline officers. We will continue to engage with police leadership on this issue to protect the safety of our residents, especially people of colour who are disproportionately likely to be victims of tasering.”

Black Equity Organisation chief executive Dr Wanda Wyporska commented: “This shocking decision can only add to the fear and distrust Black communities already have of the Police and the criminal justice system. Our hearts go out to Jordan and his family.

“Home Office data show that between April 2020 and March 2022 Black people were three times more likely to be arrested than white people and eight times more likely to be threatened with a Taser and have it fired at them (Home Office 2019/20). This is no coincidence; it is the consequence of institutional racism and wanton abuse of power.

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