Policeman tried to frame man for child abuse

ROW WITH VICTIM BEGAN OVER HEDGE TRIMMINGS

A POLICE officer from Southall serving a three-year sentence for inventing a twisted child abuse story against a man he was arguing with has been kicked off the force.

Hitesh Lakhani was embroiled in a battle with a man over hedge trimmings in his front garden which spilled onto the street, so he abused his position as a PC to make up a story about the man sexually abusing a child in Uxbridge, a court heard at the end of 2019.

The innocent man's pictures were promptly shared by Hillingdon police across their social media pages asking for people to help find him and even to call Crimestoppers but evidence later proved Lakhani's account could not have taken place.

Lakhani, 42, claimed to have witnessed the man standing in a bush and calling out to a young girl, aged around five, who was walking with her mum to join him in the hedge on September 5, 2018.

He said the man then pulled down his shorts and grabbed the little girl's hand and made her touch him, before the mum noticed she was missing and called out to her, allowing her to break free.

The former PC, who was off-duty at the time, then said he confronted the man and took his picture, which was shared in a police appeal. His account was later found to be completely false.

Detectives investigated CCTV from a neighbouring house which conclusively proved Lakhani's account could never have happened.

The former PC was the subject of a Special Case Hearing on April 30 where he was found to have breached professional standards for Metropolitan Police and dismissed without notice.

He had only been suspended from his duties for Central West BCU at the time of his sentencing. He was previously carrying out restricted duties.

He was already convicted by a jury of perverting the court of justice at Kingston Crown Court on December 10, having pleaded not guilty. A month later, on January 10, he was sentenced to three years in prison.

David Davies, Senior prosecutor for CPS, said in January: “This was a baseless accusation against a hardworking man by a serving police officer.

“Hitesh Lakhani called 101 alleging he had witnessed a sexual assault that he knew did not happen. This was a spiteful act over a disagreement about hedge trimmings in his front garden spilling on to the street.

“A police investigation found no trace of sexual crimes being reported in the vicinity, various inaccuracies in Lakhani's account and CCTV evidence from a neighbouring house, which proved the sexual assault could not have happened.

“The most worrying aspect of this case was that Lakhani, as a police officer, presented as a credible witness to a serious allegation where there was an identified suspect.

"The implications for this victim could have been profound, but we were able to prove Lakhani's account was entirely fictional and unfounded.

“I hope this prosecution serves as a reminder that nobody is above the law.”