A former police sergeant assaulted a man during an arrest amid a 'culture of bragging' and 'intolerance' exposed on WhatsApp chat, a court has heard.
Paul Street, 41, is on trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly assaulting Samuel Kayode in January 2020. He allegedly went on to pervert the course of justice by creating false statements about the arrest and the injuries Mr Kayode suffered.
Street is also charged with two offences of misconduct in a public office in 2020 and 2021. They relate to the arrest and detention of a 17-year-old youth and requesting private images and an intimate video found on the phone of a female suspect.
Opening his trial on Monday, prosecutor Anne Whyte KC said Street had 'knowingly abused his professional status' as a police sergeant with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary. He joined the force in August 2005 and by 2021 was leading a proactive team based at Cambourne Police Station, mainly dealing with County lines drug supply and organised crime.
He would routinely encounter and arrest drug users and dealers out on the streets and, with his team, had obtained 'impressive results' in tackling serious crime, the court heard. Ms Whyte told jurors that in his 17 years as an officer, Street had a 'robust' style, 'relished' his work and occasionally put himself at risk in the execution of his duties.
She said: 'There is no question that Paul Street's job could be challenging and that he was plainly capable of doing that job well.' However, in November 2021, an anti-corruption team seized Street's mobile phones for examination as part of an audit of Cambridgeshire officers and staff.
In 2018, the defendant created a WhatsApp group called 'Impact Team' which included 17 colleagues and featured an image of Street with a finger to his lips. Messages on the group illustrated how Street had 'created a culture of bragging and intolerance towards suspects' and a 'zero tolerance attitude to anyone on his team who disagreed with his methods and sentiments', Ms Whyte said.
She told jurors: 'This group chat, which took place through officers' personal mobile phones, would be used for all sorts of communications including those that might more ordinarily take place over the police radio system. After viewing it, you might conclude that the language used at times was uncompromising, with other officers very much adopting their sergeant's sentiments about suspects. On any view, it makes for uncomfortable reading. Some of those officers have been subject to separate investigation as a result.'
The defendant, of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, has denied charges against him and the Old Bailey trial continues.
