Detective cleared of stealing £2,000 during police raid in East Ham

Det Sgt Iain Wallace was accused of taking £2,000 in £50 notes when officers stormed the home of recovery driver Faisal Shan in Central Park Road.

Mr Shan claimed the money, which he was saving for a holiday, went missing from wardrobe during the raid on August 26 last year.

Last week, a misconduct hearing panel found there to be insufficient evidence to continue the investigation into Mr Shan’s claims.

Akbar Khan, the panel’s chair, said: “The panel finds the evidence of Mr Shan to be contradictory, evasive and inconsistent.

“The panel finds there to be a lack of sufficient cogency and the investigation should go no further.”

He added: “The standard of proof is based on balance of probabilities, so what is more likely than not to have happened.

“Evidence in relation to the key issue can be described as tenuous and unreliable.

“It would be unfair and unjust to continue proceedings against the officer.”

Mr Shan claimed the money, which was a mix of personal savings and earnings from his wages, was being saved for a trip to Turkey. He said: “I looked in the cupboard and my money and papers had been messed up.

“There had been £2,000 in there, all £50 notes, with a rubber band.”

When asked, Mr Shan could not provide the date for when he intended to go on holiday, and the representing counsel for Det Sgt Wallace said going on holiday would have violated the conditions of his bail following his arrest for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

Mr Shan had CCTV cameras installed in his flat, where he lives alone, for personal security.

The camera footage in his bedroom showed Det Sgt Wallace in the room, but the view of the wardrobe was obstructed.

When asked by the investigating officer to provide CCTV footage of him putting the money in his wardrobe, or the date when he put it there, Mr Shan did not provide it.

Newham’s Operational Command Unit has now merged into the East Area Command Unit.