Former Borough Commander jailed

Monday February 15, 2010

Hammersmith & Fulham’s former chief Police officer has been jailed for four years for threatening and falsely arresting a man in a row over money.

Former Borough Commander Ali Dizaei, 47, was convicted of misconduct and perverting the course of justice at Southwark Crown Court earlier this week.

During the trial, the jury heard that Dizaei met his victim – Waad al-Baghdadi – by chance in July 2008 in the Yas restaurant on Hammersmith Road, West Kensington.

Mr al-Baghdadi, 24, approached Dizaei – who was H&F Police Borough Commander between May 2007 and April 2008 – and asked for £600 he was owed for building a website showcasing Dizaei’s career. This angered Dizaei, who had just eaten a meal with his wife.

The officer confronted the younger man in a nearby side street where a scuffle took place and Mr al-Baghdadi was roughly arrested and handcuffed. In one of two 999 calls Dizaei asked an operator for urgent assistance before starting to arrest Mr al-Baghdadi.

When officers arrived, Dizaei handed them the metal mouthpiece of a shisha pipe and claimed he had been stabbed with it. But a doctor at Hammersmith police station concluded that two red marks on the officer’s torso were probably self-inflicted and did not match the pipe.

Dizaei told colleagues he had been attacked, leaving Mr al-Baghdadi in custody for 24 hours and ultimately facing prosecution. When Mr al-Baghdadi was told he would not face any charge, he complained about his treatment and Dizaei's web of deceit slowly unravelled.

Prosecutor Peter Wright QC said the officer was guilty of a “wholesale abuse of power” motivated by self-interest and pride. A jury found he attacked Mr al-Baghdadi before arresting and attempting to frame him. Dizaei stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as the jury returned its verdict in less than three hours.

Mr Justice Simon said the sentence included a deterrent element “to send a clear message that police officers, of whatever rank, are not above the law”.

The judge told Dizaei: “You knew how the system worked and you thought you would never be discovered. It is to the credit of the investigators in this case that early on they questioned your account. You should have drawn a very clear line between your personal position with regard to Mr al-Baghdadi and your position as a police officer. You crossed that line and now stand convicted of these offences.”

Dizaei, who has been suspended on full pay since September 2008, is now expected to be sacked from the Metropolitan Police for gross misconduct. Dizaei is appealing the conviction.