Police were called just before 17:00hrs to the location on Wednesday, 30 March and PC Swaleh Chaudhry, 36, who is attached to the Met’s Taskforce, was arrested at the scene and immediately suspended from duty.
On Friday, 1 April, PC Chaudhry appeared in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to:
– one count of voyeurism;
– one count of possession of extreme pornography;
– three counts of making an indecent image of a child.
Commander Kyle Gordon, who leads the Met’s Taskforce said: “Constable Swaleh Chaudhry’s actions are shocking, thoroughly reprehensible and contrary to everything for which the Metropolitan Police stand. It is right that he now faces the full consequences of his actions.
“Within the 48 hours since Constable Choudhry’s offending came to light a fast and thorough investigation has been prioritised, he’s been charged and subsequently appeared in court without delay. I hope this demonstrates clearly to everyone that we continue to do everything we can to root out wrongdoing within our own ranks and we will work swiftly to bring such officers to justice as we work to rebuild the public’s trust and confidence in us.”
PC Chaudhry was off duty at the time of the incident.
During the course of the investigation, electronic devices belonging to PC Chaudhry were seized and forensically examined. It was discovered that PC Chaudhry was in possession of extreme pornography and indecent images of a child.
A referral has also been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
PC Choudhary will appear in custody at Kingston Crown Court on a date yet to be confirmed for sentencing. Misconduct proceedings will now take place as soon as possible.
We cannot and are not waiting for the findings of ongoing inquiries to begin rebuilding the public’s trust and confidence that police officers will protect and respect them. We have already taken a number of significant steps to start real change across the organisation. These include two independent reviews, an examination of all current investigations of sexual and domestic abuse allegations against Met employees and an increase in the number of investigators in our professional standards directorate.
The Met is driven by the values of professionalism, integrity, courage and compassion. We only want the best and will always act when our employees fall below the exemplary standards we and the public expect.
