London police tortured us, claim drug suspects: Victim 'screamed for mercy as head was shoved into toilet'

Suspects arrested by Scotland Yard's 'waterboarding torture squad' told yesterday of their claims of humiliating ordeals at the hands of the suspended officers. One man allegedly had his head pushed down the toilet and screamed for mercy as the officers flushed it. A woman, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was allegedly forced to dress in front of the police team during a drugs raid on her home. In separate claims, it was alleged that another man was savagely beaten in a car park.

Officers from the same squad have been suspended over claims that they inflicted torture by waterboarding three African drug suspects. The technique, which simulates drowning, became notorious for its use by U.S. agents on terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay. It is claimed the Met officers also ducked some of the suspects' heads in water.

All the suspects are likely to press for compensation which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Their lawyers are awaiting the outcome of an Independent Police Complaints Commission probe into the raids in North London last year, in which four men and a woman were arrested.

The IPCC is also investigating wider allegations of corruption by the officers, including that evidence was fabricated and suspects' property stolen including lap tops and iPods. All six of the officers, who include a detective sergeant, face prosecution if there is enough evidence against them, and ultimately the sack.

All the abuse is alleged to have happened as officers from the Enfield borough crime squad, based at Edmonton police station, North London, searched two addresses for cannabis last November. The suspects had been charged with running a cannabis smuggling racket. The case was dropped at Wood Green Crown Court, North London, in March after defence lawyers were told the allegations against the officers.

Yesterday, as Met chiefs staged a series of crisis meetings, insiders accused senior officers of 'lacking grip' and predicted that heads would have to roll. Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said the claims were 'appalling and shocking'. He said: 'It beggars-belief that Metropolitan Police officers can have used torture techniques like waterboarding when they must have known that such behaviour was itself criminal and would wreck any trial.' London Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'Clearly these allegations are extremely serious and need to be thoroughly investigated.'

Jenny Jones, of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said: 'If these accusations are substantiated then serious disciplinary action must be taken. 'The police should be a public protector, ensuring community-safety, not an organisation that uses criminal torture tactics.'

Suspicions arose over the behaviour of the six officers shortly after the raids. Police claimed to find a large amount of cannabis and the suspects, all foreign nationals, were charged with the illegal importation of a class C drug. It is understood that a Met officer later came forward to internal investigators with information against several colleagues.

Original report here



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