City of London Police accused of using undercover dwarves in stop and search

A police force is being sued over claims it used undercover dwarves to carry out stop and searches. City of London Police has been issued with the writ by a Russian doctor who also alleges its officers sexually assaulted him and tried to take his DNA for "covert biological experiments". But Dr Alexander Sobko's £55,000 damages claim means the force will have to defend itself against the lawsuit - costing taxpayers thousands of pounds. Dr Sobko's writ, issued on October 6, will be assessed by a judge in the coming weeks.

In it he alleges he was targeted twice by City of London officers in October 2006. He claims he was first stopped in the capital's Chancery Lane after being spotted "doing exercises to refresh my mind" in the street. Dr Sobko said he was searched by "two well-fed policemen and one well-fed policewoman" under the Terrorism Act before being taken to a police station for questioning. In another section he claimed he had refused a cup of tea while he was being quizzed "for fear of being poisoned".



A week later the Russian said he was approached by the dwarves who searched him without any explanation. He claimed: "Two dwarf chaps approached the claimant smiling tensely, one producing something like a badge and expressing his desire to search the claimant on the basis of a Terrorism Act. As to the claimant's understanding, the policemen were using the Terrorism Act to make sexual advances as one of those cops was searching the claimant's space between legs for too long, smiling. He stopped doing so after the claimant asked what he was doing there."

Dr Sobko, who is acting for himself, wants damages for wrongful arrest, humiliation, degrading treatment, assault and battery, systematic harassment and trespass to goods. His case will now be passed to another High Court judge, Master Barbara Fontaine, to consider in the next few weeks. A City of London Police spokesman said: "The City of London Police is aware of the claim filed at the High Court and lawyers have been instructed to contest the allegations made by Dr Alexander Sobko."