London actor's late-night police encounter leads to officer's criminal probe

In a late-night mix-up three months ago Reece Richards – known for his role in Netflixʼs Sex Education faced harsh treatment by law enforcement in west-londonʼs Fulham district (just steps from his home)

I was the victim of an unlawful arrest... I had just finished performing in Hairspray The Musical when a car crashed near me

The actor whoʼd just wrapped-up his theater performance tried helping officers by pointing-out escape direction of two crash suspects; however things quickly went south. Instead of accepting his assistance officers mistook him for a suspect: they sprayed him with incapacitant threw him down and put handcuffs on

• Officers demanded he get on ground
• Used pepper-spray without warning
• Applied force with multiple officers
• Caused injuries to his back ribs and stomach

The Independent Office For Police Conduct started looking into this case and found serious issues: one cop now faces criminal investigation for common assault while another officers actions are being checked for misconduct. Theater director Brenda Edwards pointed out this might be a case of racial profiling

The IOPC continues its probe into the sept 4th incident – which lasted from midnight till early morning hours. Theyʼll decide if officers should face formal charges but for now its important to note that current investigation dont automatically mean disciplinary action will follow