Police payout for men beaten at Gaza protest

Two protesters beaten by unidentified police officers during a protest in London against Israeli actions in Gaza have been awarded £25,000 in compensation from the Metropolitan Police.

The demonstrations were held near the Israeli embassy in January last year. It is the first payout by the Met over the policing of the protests.

In a letter to twin brothers Ashley and Russell Inglis the police apologised: "Whilst it has not been possible to identify who struck you and caused your injuries, the investigation into the events established there was no reason to suspect that you were acting in a violent way, and therefore you should not have been struck with a baton."

No officer has been punished amid claims that many had covered up their identity numbers.

The two brothers, who are both Oxford University graduates, have been highly critical of the investigation. They claim officers from the Met's department of professional standards (DPS) failed to gather all the CCTV footage available that night, preventing them from identifying the policemen involved.

Ashley Inglis described how an officer three feet away made eye contact with him and then smashed him over the head with a baton.

Russell then remonstrated with another officer and was also struck with a baton on the side of his face. They say their efforts to note down police identity numbers were hampered by more police attacks.