US EditionCCTV footage shows Sex Education actor pepper sprayed by police - as watchdog finds use of force 'reasonable'
- Reece Richards, known for his role in Netflix's Sex Education, was mistakenly detained and pepper-sprayed by Metropolitan Police officers in early September 2024 near his home in the Fulham area of London’s west.
- Officers pursued suspects after a car chase and crashed vehicle, mistaking Richards for one suspect described as wearing dark clothing near the scene.
- Footage shows four officers restraining Richards, who said he was sprayed, thrown to the ground, kicked, and injured, while his mother screamed nearby.
- The police watchdog concluded that the officers' use of force during the incident was justified and found no evidence of misconduct, noting that Richards, who was an uninvolved bystander, was quickly released once his innocence was established.
- Richards expressed that his arrest was unjust and possibly influenced by racial bias, but the IOPC dismissed this grievance, with police affirming that the officers involved acted appropriately and in good faith.
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9 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)Police used ‘reasonable’ force during arrest of Sex Education star, watchdog finds
Reece Richards says he was sprayed with pepper spray and thrown to the ground during the arrest
The US Sun
The Irish SunMoment Sex Education star ‘pepper-sprayed in wrongful arrest’ - as cops cleared
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. This is the shocking moment actor Reece Richards was allegedly pepper-sprayed Footage shows four cops on top of him in Fulham, West London NetflixReece played Eugene in Sex Education[/caption] The actor, who …
The police watchdog's found the use of force by officers to arrest Sex Education star Reece Richards in Fulham last year was 'reasonable'.
The actor was mistaken for a suspect and says he was sprayed with an incapacitating liquid and was thrown to the ground and kicked by officers in September. The I-O-P-C also says it doesn’t believe he was treated in a discriminatory manner because he was black. 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 experie…
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