One of London's highest ranking police commanders has been jailed for four years over corruptions charges.
Ali Dizaei was found guilty of assaulting and falsely arresting a man in a dispute over £600.
The disgraced Met Police commander has been slammed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for his actions.
Responding to the verdict, Nick Hardwick, Chair of the IPCC said: "Dizaei behaved like a bully and the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them.
"His victim has shown tremendous strength of character throughout this case – from the moment he was confronted by Ali Dizaei, throughout our investigation, and finally when giving evidence at court."
Mr Hardwick continued: "Integrity must not be negotiable. I think the public will now be looking to police leadership for reassurance that they will not allow political and financial pressures to prevent them from robustly tackling corruption."
Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said it was "extremely disappointing and concerning" that Mr Dizaei, 47, had been found guilty of "abusing his position and power".
"The public expect the police to treat them fairly and honestly and we are resolved to tackle corruption at every opportunity. He has breached that trust and damaged not only his own reputation but that of the entire police service," said Sir Paul.
"Bearing in mind his rank and disgraceful behaviour he should not be surprised at the severity of his sentence."
(PR/BMcc) |
