Met officer dismissed and fined over £700 after repeatedly hitting man in face

A Met officer who repeatedly hit a man in the face after arresting him has been dismissed from the Met and fined £748.

PC Claudia Pastina, who was part of the central south basic command unit, appeared before a misconduct hearing today.

The panel reached the conclusion that she had breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation touse of force and discreditable conduct.

PC Pastina was found guilty of assault by beating on December 12, 2022. She was given a 16-week sentence, suspended for two years and fined £748.

The charges relate to an incident in February 2022, when PC Pastina and a colleague attended an address on Stockwell Park Road, Brixton, following a report of a man acting suspiciously.

They found the man and asked him to leave the area. He refused to do so and they attempted to lead him away but he resisted.

When the officers handcuffed him, he bit PC Pastina and caused minor injuries to a second officer using a set of keys.

After arresting him for assaulting an emergency worker, PC Pastina hit the man in the face a number of times.

Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, said: “The public trust us to use the powers we have fairly, professionally and act with the highest standards at all times.

“In this case the high standards we expect were not met. PC Pastina’s actions were completely unacceptable.

“We will always investigate allegations of wrongdoing and take the appropriate action.”

The officer will now be added to the barred list held by the college of policing. 

Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) or and fire and rescue services.

(Picture: The Met)