Ali Dizaei Vows to Appeal Against Conviction
Former Borough Commander found guilty at Southwark Crown Court
Ali Dizaei, a former borough commander in Hammersmith and Fulham has vowed to appeal against his conviction for misconduct and perverting the course of justice.
Dizaei is expected to serve about three months in prison after the three year sentence imposed yesterday (Monday February 13th) at Southwark Crown Court.
Dizaei, 49 is one of the most senior British police officers to be convicted of corruption offences. He was found guilty of falsely arresting a web designer in a dispute over money, and then lying in official statements by claiming he had been assaulted and threatened by the man.
The incident happened at the Persian Yas restaurant, run by Dizaei's friend Sohrab Eshragi, in Hammersmith Road on July 18 2008.
Web designer Waad Al-Baghdadi approached Dizaei and asked for £600 he was owed for building a website showcasing his career, press interviews and speeches.
This angered Dizaei, who had just eaten a meal with his wife after attending a ceremony at New Scotland Yard for new recruits. He confronted the younger man in a nearby sidestreet where a scuffle took place and al-Baghdadi was roughly arrested and handcuffed.
Dizaei told al-Baghdadi he would "f*** up your life" and had "ten witnesses" who would back him up.
In one of two 999 calls, Dizaei asked an operator for "urgent assistance" before starting to arrest al-Baghdadi.
When officers arrived, Dizaei handed them the metal mouthpiece of a shisha pipe, held on al-Baghdadi's key ring, and claimed he had been stabbed with it.
But a doctor at Hammersmith police station concluded that two red marks on the officer's torso were probably self-inflicted and did not match the pipe.
Dizaei told colleagues he had been attacked, leaving al-Baghdadi in custody for 24 hours and ultimately facing prosecution.
His jail sentence is expected to be reduced because he has already spent 15 months in prison as part of the four year jail term he received after being convicted of thFebruary 15, 2012ion was quashed by the court of appeal in May 2011 after evidence emerged that Dizaei's accuser, Waad al-Baghdadi, had falsely claimed £27,000 in welfare benefits for his dead father, which raised questions about his reliability as a witness.
Dizaei won his job back with the Metropolitan police but was then suspended on full salary of £90,000 . He had previously emerged unscathed from a series of inquiries over the years, including a multimillion pound undercover operation examining claims of corruption, fraud and dishonesty.
A cloud now hands over his 27 year career as a police officer, as he is likely to be dismissed and may lose his pension.
Dizaei showed little reaction while waiting for the verdict, though his head was bowed and his brow furrowed. The jury announced its unanimous verdict after eleven hours of deliberation. Afterwards his lawyer, Imram Khan, said they would be appealing.
Dizaei's wife also vowed to fight on, saying: "We will go back to the court of appeal. I will never give up."
February 14, 2012
