£4,000 for teenager dumped in bin by officer

A payout of £4,000 by Scotland Yard to a youth who was put in a litter bin by a police officer was criticised yesterday as "over the top" and a waste of taxpayers' money.

Anop Singh, who was 15 at the time of the incident in Oct 2005, was picked up by the plain-clothed officer in a fireman's lift and placed feet first in the bin.



The officer and his colleagues were investigating a report of youngsters throwing conkers at passers-by in Stoke Newington, north London. Mr Singh had been told that he would be placed in the bin if he did not move.

An independent inquiry found he was in the bin for a second and that the officer was "foolish, not malicious". He and a fellow officer received a written warning.

Mr Singh received a settlement of £4,000 after complaining to the Metropolitan Police. He said that the money would not make up for the "humiliation and distress". "If I had done what that police officer did I'm sure I would have ended up in prison."