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Former Oxfordshire police inspector jailed

A former Oxfordshire police chief has been jailed for assaulting and falsely arresting a man in a petty row over money.

Ali Dizaei was convicted of misconduct and perverting the course of justice Ali Dizaei was convicted of misconduct and perverting the course of justice

Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei, 47, was sentenced to four years by Mr Justice Simon at London's Southwark Crown Court.

A jury convicted the former head of Henley police of misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice at the end of a four-week trial.

They found he attacked young Iraqi businessman Waad al-Baghdadi before arresting and attempting to frame him.

The convictions spell the end of the Iranian officer's controversial 24-year career. Dizaei has been suspended on full pay since September 2008.

CCTV still of Scotland Yard Commander Ali Dizaei sitting down in the Yas restaurant in Kensington High Street, west London CCTV still of Scotland Yard Commander Ali Dizaei sitting down in the Yas restaurant in Kensington High Street, west London

He emerged unscathed from a series of earlier inquiries, including a multimillion-pound undercover operation examining claims of corruption, fraud and dishonesty. But an attempt to frame a man who pestered him for payment over a website exposed him as a violent bully and liar who abused his position.

Dizaei will remain a senior police officer until the bureaucratic formal process of throwing him out of the force can be completed. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which investigated the original complaint, must pass its files to the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) for a decision. Dizaei will then be sacked for gross misconduct and could face losing all or part of his pension under further measures aimed at punishing corrupt officers.

Nick Hardwick, who leads the IPCC, branded Dizaei a "criminal in uniform" who threatened the reputation of the entire service.

The jury heard the two men met by chance in the Persian Yas restaurant, run by Dizaei's friend Sohrab Eshragi, in Hammersmith Road, west London, on July 18 2008. Mr al-Baghdadi, 24, approached Dizaei and asked for £600 he was owed for building a website showcasing his career, press interviews and speeches.

This angered Dizaei, who had just eaten a meal with his wife after attending a ceremony at New Scotland Yard for new recruits. The officer confronted the younger man in a nearby sidestreet where a scuffle took place and Mr al-Baghdadi was roughly arrested and handcuffed.

The Yas restaurant in Kensington High Street, west London The Yas restaurant in Kensington High Street, west London


Comments (10)

08/02/10

Lord Palmerston says...

The moral is that promotion should be on the grounds of competence and probity; not for other reasons. Will it be learned?What do you think gentle readers?

08/02/10

Headington-Heathcliff says...

Positive discrimination has a negative outcome, eh? He's made it more difficult for genuine complaints from police officers to get a fair hearing - just like women who make false claims of rape undermine those who are true victims. Still, he won't get friendly treatment in prison...

08/02/10

Quentin Walker says...

There was such a PC rush to promote an ethnic, all other considerations went by the board - until it was too late.

08/02/10

Zaxharias Ziegla says...

The case of Ali Dizaei is best expressed in two words: political correctness.

It is a communist strategy used to disorientate a democracy, allowing many anti-British elements to flourish in our midst. Many like Dizaei owe their rapid promotions to political correctness, and not mush else.

Had the Tories returned to power in 1997, they wouldn't have dared proceed as rapidly along the authoritarian state road as the present Government.

09/02/10

Petre Mcvay says...

Dizaei will then be sacked for gross misconduct and could face losing all or part of his pension under further measures aimed at punishing corrupt officers.


No he won't, the maximun that can be taken away is 60%. So he will still get a minimum 40% at least. which will still be worth a few 100K

09/02/10

Harsh@home says...

Of topic I know but is the OM so short of funds that they have resort to advert links within the article?

09/02/10

LadyPenelope says...

An excellent example why positive discrimination doesn't work. It's time to axe targets based on race, and employ someone because they're the best person for the job.

Ditto for universities; students should be accepted on their personal ability, not how much (or little) cash their parents have in their bank account.

09/02/10

Abingdon_born_Cowley says...

Now I realise that this Policeman needed to be sent down and he deserves evrything he will get, but why all the talk about positive discrimination? I'm far from a fan of it but I'm not sure where we can see from the evidence that the colour of the mans skin or the place he decends from had ANYTHING to do with his actions....?

09/02/10

Quentin Walker says...

Abingdon_born_Cowley wrote:
Now I realise that this Policeman needed to be sent down and he deserves evrything he will get, but why all the talk about positive discrimination? I'm far from a fan of it but I'm not sure where we can see from the evidence that the colour of the mans skin or the place he decends from had ANYTHING to do with his actions....?
If you read the full history of Ali Dizaei, you will be well placed to revise your opinion.

14/02/10

Additional information says...

This once again highlights the incompetence and unprofessionalism found within Thames Valley Police and also how many instances of misconduct and incompetence there really are within it…Police officers are meant to set an example and uphold the law, not break it….Shame on them!!

Acts such as these normally get covered up and this is the function of the Professional Standards Dept (PSD) within each police force and it is their task to “play down” and “gloss over” the many complaints they receive and prevent them from being made public or being taken any further, such as a prosecution. They do a good job of protecting, defending and “sheltering” their officers who commit acts of misconduct and incompetence!

It is not surprising that so many complaints are now raised against the police.For information, in 2008 two complaints that were deemed upheld & substantiated were against the same officer also within Thames Valley Police Force, DC Mark Torrington who is based in Banbury. The complaints were raised through the IPCC and after an investigation by the Thames Valley Police Professional Standards Dept (PSD) it was concluded that both complaints against were indeed upheld and substantiated.

The complaints were for “Improper Disclosure of Information” and the investigation report details that DC Torrington disclosed personal & private information and data to the complainants employer on a regular basis and continually providing “updates”, therefore breaching the Data Protection Act 1998. Due to this breach Thames Valley Police have also been reported to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

The second complaint which was also concluded as being upheld & substantiated was for “Mishandling of Property”. This involved the same officer, DC Torrington giving away various personal possessions & items of the complainants property to an unauthorised person and also without permission or even recording it.

The investigation report details and concludes that DC Mark Torrington will receive Management Advice from the Area Commander as a result of his actions.

This officer should have been prosecuted in the same way as any member of the public would have been!

However this once again highlights the poor conduct of officers and the very low standard within Thames Valley Police which on many occasions just gets “glossed over” from the public. The actions of this officer are just one example of why Thames Valley Police have got such a poor reputation and proves that officers including DC Torrington obviously can not be trusted!!