Met Police officer charged after BBC Charing Cross investigation

A Metropolitan Police officer has become the first person to be charged as a result of a BBC Panorama investigation into alleged misconduct at Charing Cross police station in London. Sgt Sadiq Al-Hasani, 37, has been charged with perverting the course of justice. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. In a statement, the Met Police said the charge related to an allegation Sgt Al-Hasani, who was attached to Central West Command Unit, "deliberately sought to discourage another officer from making a statement to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)". He was charged on 13 August in relation with an incident on 2 October 2025. In a statement, the IOPC said Sgt Al-Hasani allegedly approached a junior officer, who was a potential key witness in the wider Charing Cross investigation, with the intention to obstruct or interfere with the probe. He remains suspended from duty, the Met said. The IOPC began its investigation after a mandatory conduct referral from the Met on 3 October. Its investigation finished in June, at which point it decided to refer a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service. The IOPC had begun an investigation following the broadcast in October 2025 of BBC Panorama – Undercover in the Police.