Police officer filmed allegedly punching a student will not face disciplinary action, Met confirms

A still from the video allegedly showing a police officer punching a protester

A police officer filmed allegedly punching a student will not face disciplinary action and has been allowed to stay on duty, despite complaints from the public.

Scotland Yard said it had received “two complaints from two separate people, alleging that they were assaulted by a police officer during a demonstration on 4 and 5 December respectively”.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that the police officer has not been suspended, and that footage of the alleged assault was being reviewed.

The policeman was caught on film allegedly punching protester Tony Jones, 24, sending him off balance with a blow to the shoulder before apparently smacking him to the ground with a punch in the face, it is claimed.

The Metropolitan Police had previously stated that there would be no investigation into officers' behaviour until a complaint was made.

Mr Jones, a University of West London media studies student, told The Daily Mail he had been on his way out the building when he was “assaulted out of nowhere” by the unidentified officer.

He said: “There had been no swearing, no arguing. He just seemed angry. I couldn’t believe it. You see police brutality elsewhere on the internet, but I’ve never seen it in this country”.

He added that he has been left with a crippling headache and a bruised back.

Baroness Jones, deputy chairman of the Police and Crime Committee, last night made calls for an urgent inquiry. She said: “The Met shouldn’t wait for a complaint to come in before investigating what appears to be an officer assaulting a student.”

The police had said they were “outnumbered” at the protest, where five protestors were arrested and one charged.