Rashan Charles: Police officer will not face criminal charges, says CPS

Rashan Charles. Photograph: Twitter

A police officer who restrained Rashan Charles hours before his death will not face criminal charges, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced.

Twenty-year-old Charles died on 22 July last year following a police chase.

CCTV footage from the Dalston shop where the arrest took place shows the officer throwing the youngster to the ground.

Charles later died at the Royal London Hospital, where a mixture of caffeine and paracetamol wrapped in plastic was removed from his throat.

A CPS spokeswoman said yesterday: “Following the death of Rashan Charles in July 2017, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) referred a file of evidence in relation to one Metropolitan police officer for a possible charge of common assault.

“The CPS has considered the matter and decided the evidential test for a prosecution for common assault is not met. We will therefore not be taking any further action regarding this offence.”

The IOPC, which recently replaced the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), is yet to comment on the CPS decision.

The police watchdog announced last September that it was investigating the officer for gross misconduct.

Charles’ family were left “concerned and disappointed” following the Met police’s decision not to suspend the officer.

An inquest into the youngster’s death is set to start in June.