Bianca Williams ‘shocked’ after £130,000 raised for shamed Met officers
British athlete Bianca Williams says people are blaming her for two police officers losing their jobs after they were fired for gross misconduct.
A disciplinary panel found Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks, who carried out a stop and search of Ms Williams and her partner Ricardo dos Santos, lied about smelling cannabis in their car.
A crowdfunding page has been set up to support Clapham and Franks, which has raised more than £130,000 and promises ‘every penny will go to support the officers’.
Ms Williams says she still has ‘no regrets’ about reporting the incident, despite receiving more online trolling since the panel reached its verdict.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, she said: ‘I feel like everyone has a right to do a crowdfund but in the circumstances it’s quite shocking, saying they shouldn’t have lost their jobs.
‘But they lied and there has to be a punishment – they lost their jobs for that.
‘I’m glad people can see that they were lying but it’s one where we’ve gotten so much hate from the officers now losing their jobs.
‘We’re getting blamed, people are saying it wasn’t a racist situation, it wasn’t a racist attack.
‘We were trolled in 2020, but now it’s 10 times worse.
‘We have a voice and we are going to use it. There are so many people who have been stopped and haven’t been able to speak up or don’t have the financials to take it further.
‘We are doing this to help the next person because it’s going to happen again.’
Ms Williams and her parner Mr dos Santos, a Portugese Olympian, say they were racially profiled when they were searched in July 2020. Their young son was also in the car.
Police followed their car as they drove to their home in Maida Vale.
The couple were handcuffed and searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons, but nothing was found.
More than 7,600 people have donated money to the crowdfunder, set up by a user named ‘UK’, raising significantly more than its original £50,000 target.
Ms Williams’ solicitor said in a statement: ‘The comments of the apparently serving officers not only demonstrates an unwillingness to be held to account but it exposes just how toxic the culture in the Met is, and how far off change seems to be.
‘The commissioner should immediately come out to publicly support the panel’s decision and the importance of accountability in the Met if public confidence in the police stands a chance of being restored in London.’
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