A Met Police officer faces a criminal investigation for assault after the “unlawful arrest” of a sex education star

The officer is under investigation for a possible crime assault After Sex education star Reece Richards claimed he was illegally arrested.

Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that the same officer was under investigation for potential gross misconduct, while the other officer was under investigation for potential misconduct.

Richards claimed in an Instagram post that he was sprayed with an incapacitating liquid before being thrown to the ground and kicked by officers. Fulhamin west London in September this year after being mistaken for a suspect.

The actor, who plays Eugene in the hugely popular Netflix series, said the incident happened “just a few feet from my front door” after he finished performing in a performance of Hairspray The Musical.

He said: “On Wednesday, September 4, between 12:38 and 2:30, I was the victim of an unlawful arrest… I had just finished performing in Hairspray the Musical when a car crashed near me.”

Richards said two men jumped out of the vehicle, so he directed police in the direction they fled.

He testified that the officer then shouted at him that he was under arrest and “demanded” him to get on the ground.

The actor added: “I was confused, unable to understand why I was suddenly being treated like a criminal.

“I calmly explained that I was a performer returning from a performance, but one of the officers shouted: ‘Get on the floor or I will pepper spray you.’

“A moment later, three more officers ran up to me. They poured pepper on me, kicked out my legs, threw me on the ground and handcuffed me.

“In the blink of an eye I was lying face down on the pavement with several officers holding me down, pushing my head into the ground.

“I was already injured during the performance, but the presence of four officers above me worsened my injuries to my back, ribs and abdomen.”

Loose Women star Brenda Edwards, the director of the series in which Richards starred, also alleged that he had been “profiled and racially raped”.

An IOPC spokesman said: “Our investigation into the incident which occurred on September 4 in Fulham Palace Road, west London, is ongoing.

“The investigation is examining the use of force by I met the police officers arrested a man who was later released from custody.

“In November, we informed the officer that he was under criminal investigation for a potential offense of common assault.

“The same officer is also under investigation for potential gross misconduct, and a second officer is under investigation for potential misconduct.

“This does not mean that disciplinary or criminal action will necessarily follow.

“At the end of our investigation, we will decide whether disciplinary action should be taken against any of the officers and whether the matter should be referred to the Ethics Committee. Crown Prosecution Service“

Click below to see the latest headlines from London