Moment Sex Education star ‘pepper-sprayed & kicked by officers in mistaken arrest’ – as cops cleared of wrongdoing
TWO Met cops have been cleared of wrongdoing after a Sex Education star was allegedly pepper-sprayed and kicked by officers.
Reece Richards claimed he was wrongfully arrested in front of his screaming mum after being mistaken for a suspect.
The actor, who plays Eugene in the hit Netflix show, also said he was sprayed with an incapacitating liquid, thrown to the ground and kicked.
He said the incident made it “painfully clear that racial profiling remains a significant issue”.
The Independent Office For Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation into the arrest.
It today confirmed the use of force by the officers involved was “reasonable in the circumstances”.
The watchdog also revealed no cops acted in a way that would justify disciplinary or criminal proceedings.
Richards’ race complaint was also not upheld by the IOPC.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “I want to acknowledge the impact that this incident has had on Reece Richards. He was an innocent bystander and this would have been a frightening experience.
“Mr Richards’ complaint detailed his understandable belief that he was detained and arrested because he was Black, although the suspects were White.
“We found that officers were responding to a fast-moving incident and – given the only description of the suspects was that one was wearing dark clothing and their location – it was reasonable that the officer who saw Mr Richards and detained him thought he was a suspect.
“The evidence indicated that the officers’ use of force was reasonable in the circumstances they encountered and perceived and Mr Richards was de-arrested as soon officers confirmed he was not involved.”
Richards posted on his Instagram about the arrest in September as he left a performance of Hairspray The Musical in London.
The actor said he had witnessed a car crash and two males fleeing the scene before police mistook him for being involved.
He claimed he directed officers to the suspects but the cop instead said he was under arrest.
In a video he shared on Instagram, the model appears to be told to “stay where you are” by an officer threatening him with pepper spray.
Richards, who also played Kenneth in You, says he was then “kicked” and “handcuffed” with footage showing four cops on top of him.
In the recording, the performer can be heard in distress and shouting in pain on the pavement as more officers attended.
Richards wrote: “In a flash, I was face-down on the pavement with multiple officers holding me down, forcing my head into the ground.
“I was already injured from the show, but having four officers on top of me worsened my injuries to my back, ribs, and stomach.
“I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear my mum nearby, screaming and crying, begging them to let me go.
“That feeling of helplessness will never leave me.
“The whole experience was embarrassing, deeply upsetting, and exhausting.”
The Met Police said at the time officers had been pursuing three men, who ran from a car that crashed after failing to stop.
They confirmed Richards was “de-arrested as it was established by officers at the scene that he was not involved”.
As Eugene in Netflix’s huge hit Sex Education, Reece played the love interest of Vivienne “Viv” Odusanya, played by Chinenye Ezeudu.
He has played West End roles as Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye in Motown: The Musical.
He is also a professional dancer, amateur athlete and model and has appeared in commercials for JD Sports, Ted Baker and Not On The High Street.