Met officer cleared of gross misconduct after taser left suspect paralysed

A Metropolitan Police officer has been cleared of gross misconduct regarding his use of a Taser on a suspect who was running away and was left paralysed after a 2020 pursuit in north London. The decision was reached after an eight-day misconduct hearing examining the actions of PC Imran Mahmood, who had been barred from frontline duties during the probe.

PC Imran Mahmood, then 36, tasered Jordan Walker-Brown during a police chase through Harringay on May 4, 2020. Walker-Brown, who was unarmed at the time, fled because he feared he might be carrying a knife; Mahmood said he believed he needed to contain the suspect to protect himself and other officers. The incident left Walker-Brown with a broken back after falling from a height following the taser discharge.

Following the incident, Mahmood was placed on restricted duties, barring him from front-line work. In May of the previous year, he was cleared of grievous bodily harm at trial and has since been cleared of misconduct allegations relating to use of force, orders and instructions. The IOPC investigated the case after the Directorate of Professional Standards referred the matter, and the file later progressed to the Crown Prosecution Service, which charged Mahmood in April 2022 with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. He was acquitted of that charge.

The IOPC concluded that Mahmood should face a gross misconduct hearing, and the eight-day panel ultimately found that the force used was proportionate and that Mahmood reasonably believed Walker-Brown posed an immediate threat to his safety and that of colleagues. A second allegation relating to the use of the Taser while Walker-Brown was at a height was not proven. Mahmood has been a qualified Taser officer since July 2017 and remained up to date on training.

Commander Hayley Sewart, who oversees north London policing, expressed regret over the consequences of the incident, noting that Walker-Brown’s life has been changed by the injuries. The commander said officers often must make split-second decisions in the line of duty and acknowledged ongoing concerns around Taser use. London Police said it has been expanding community involvement in monitoring Tasers, including a new scrutiny panel, while stressing that Tasers remain a vital tool and that ongoing training and reviews will continue.

The case sits amid a broader context in which hundreds of officers are suspended on full pay while investigations proceed, a situation the Met says costs hundreds of thousands of pounds monthly. The force has noted that a substantial number of investigations involve a range of alleged misconduct from sexual offences to brutality and corruption, underscoring the ongoing reform effort and community engagement driving changes in policing practices.