A police officer from Southall has this week been jailed for three years following a trial that concluded in December.
Hitesh Lakhani was arrested following a feudwith a man over some hedge trimmings in his front garden which spilled onto the street. The officer then abused his position as a PC and made up a story about the man sexually abusing a child.
According to press reports PC Lakhani, 42, claimed to have witnessed the man standing in a bush and calling out to a young girl, aged around 5, who was walking with her mum to join him in the hedge on September 5, 2018.
He claimed the man then pulled down his shorts and grabbed the little girl's hand and making her touch him. The girl managed to break free when her mum noticed she was missing and called out to her.
The police officer from Southall, who was off-duty at the the time, claimed to have confronted the man and taken his picture which he showed to police whenn they were called to the scene and which was then circulated across all of Hillingdon police's social media pages in the hopes of identifying the "suspect".
It was only when detectives investigated the CCTV evidence from a neighbouring house that they had conclusive proof there was no way the attack could have taken place and that Lakhani had indeed fabricated the whole incident.
Lakhani was charged with perverting the court of justice and pleaded not guilty but a jury convicted him of the charge after a trial at Kingston Crown Court on December 10 before being sentenced to three years in prison on Friday (January 10).
According to reports Lakhani continued to serve as a police officer, although on restricted duties, until his sentencing and has still not come before the Metropolitan Police professional misconduct panel.
