A 70-year-old Jamaican man by the name of Errol Dixon has reportedly suffered severe injuries after being pulled over by police officers for a broken brake light in Bromley, South East London, earlier this week. Following the victim’s apprehension, the Met claimed a “struggle” ensued after officers stopped the driver.
A woman, simply known as Char—who claims to be the victim’s daughter—took to Instagram to share the extent of Mr Dixon’s injuries. The pictures show Mr Dixon bleeding from a head wound, alongside various cuts and bruises. Char also claims he has a broken nose, a fractured cheekbone and eye socket from the incident, as well as distressing cuts to his head.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) released a statement, which reads: “We are aware of a post on Instagram relating to the arrest of a man following a vehicle stop on Blyth Road in Bromley. After exiting the vehicle, the driver became involved in a struggle with an officer during which the officer sustained an injury to his eye.”
Despite the IOPC’s claims, Char, the Black Lives Matter organisation and members of the public have cited police brutality and racism as a motivating factor. Char stated: “My dad is born and bred Jamaican, whose accent is very strong and isn’t afraid to say what he feels about the Met Police and their corrupt, racist system. As my dad made hand gestures telling them to leave him alone, they felt it was now their duty to physically abuse him.”
She continued: “My dad is 70 years old, no more than eight stone, 5ft 6, who has had multiple strokes, heart problems and is also on blood-thinning tablets. Multiple witnesses have stepped forward to describe the absolute torture they put my dad through until my brother turned up. When questioned as to why they’ve assaulted him, the police then lied to say my dad hit them. I’m absolutely heartbroken at this time.”
The police force in the UK is no stranger to accusations of racism. According to a former officer,institutional racism in the force is getting stronger and it’s worse than it was 20 years ago.
The Police Watchdog has launched an investigation into Mr Dixon’s arrest.
