On duty Police Officer faces the axe after caught buying porn on the account of dead child’s family

BY JAMES TWOMEY
james@slpmedia.co.uk

A police officer is facing the axe after he admitted buying pornography at a house he was guarding when a child had died at the property.

PC Avi Maharaj, 44, who is based in Earlsfield, pleaded guilty to fraud after spending £25.96 on pornography using the account of the property owner while he was was waiting for an undertaker to arrive.

The homeowner had left the South London property following the death of a child in February 2018, and Maharaj was there to look after the
property.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found evidence that Maharaj was the only person present at the property when the purchases were made.

During the investigation it was also found that Maharaj may have falsified his attendance log to cover his actions, and during the investigation PC Maharaj denied making the purchases.

PC Maharaj appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 16 charged with one count of fraud for using a member of the public’s cable television account to purchase pornography without permission.

He will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 6.

IOPC regional director, Sal Naseem, said: “PC Maharaj’s behaviour was shocking and even more so given he was guarding the property in the absence of the homeowner.

Not only were his actions deceitful but he caused considerable distress for the family involved who were dealing with the sudden death of a family member.

“Our investigation showed that PC Maharaj was the only person in the property who could have downloaded access to pornographic channels at the time the account was accessed.

Today he has admitted his guilt under the weight of compelling evidence.

I am sorry that the family involved had to deal with this while also coping with the tragic loss of their child.”

The IOPC and the Met have agreed to schedule a hearing for gross misconduct.