‘He can’t change the colour of his skin’: Bianca Williams hits back over partner’s multiple police encounters
28 September 2023, 13:48 | Updated: 28 September 2023, 14:15
Bianca Williams has rebuffed a suggestion her partner should change his driving behaviour to avoid being pulled over by police as she hit back ‘he can’t change the colour of his skin’.
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British athlete Bianca Williams, 29, has been giving evidence at a gross misconduct hearing against five Metropolitan Police officers who stopped her and her partner Ricardo dos Santos.
The pair were stopped and searched by police while they were driving through Maida Vale, west London, with their baby son in July 2020.
Nothing was found during the search and Ms Williams and fellow sprinter Mr dos Santos have claimed that officers racially profiled them in pulling over their car, handcuffing and searching them for drugs and weapons.
The misconduct panel heard on Thursday that Mr dos Santos has been pulled over multiple times by police.
In evidence, Ms Williams said: “When it gets to 10 times or more, I feel his frustration and I feel it’s tired, it’s difficult, it’s not easy constantly being pulled over for no exact reason.
“He’s repeatedly stopped in our two cars and it’s never been a problem with me. I’m a female and he’s a male - a black male - and black males are 10 times more likely to get stopped.
“It would be interesting to know if I was driving that car whether we’d have been stopped.”
Read more: Over 150 reports of police officers misusing body cameras, investigation finds
Questioning Bianca Williams, Mr James Hines KC, acting on behalf of one of the officers, put it to her that their car was driving at speed away from the police van, which was patrolling the area at the time.
But Ms Williams said: “Ricardo wouldn’t speed with the baby in the car”.
Mr Hines persisted, asking the athlete if she and her partner had ever had a conversation about how he could change his driving behaviour to avoid being pulled over so frequently.
Ms Williams said: “No because he can’t change the colour of his skin.
“If he adjusts his behaviour does that mean he’s going to get stopped less? No it doesn’t. He’s been pulled over so many times.
“It’s hard to constantly keep calm if you’re constantly being pulled over and given a rubbish excuse.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct brought the gross misconduct hearing against five of the officers involved in the stop and search of Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos on 4 July 2020.
Acting Sgt Rachel Williams, PC Allan Casey, PC Jonathan Clapham, PC Michael Bond and PC Sam Franks all denied gross misconduct, as they’re accused of discriminating against the couple because of their race.
They all deny that their actions amounted to gross misconduct.
Gross misconduct is the most serious disciplinary charge a police officer can face. The hearings are set to last until October 27.
It was suggested at the panel hearing that the officers involved were acting out of concern of an increase in gang-related activity in West London in the weeks leading up to the stop.
Showing Ms Williams a map of gang territories in the area, Mr Hines KC said: “There is a gang called the Mozart Gang. And at the time, the Mozart area was considered a high crime area.
“So although your bit is very nice, did you appreciate you lived in a high crime area?”
Ms Williams said: “I didn’t really know that to be honest.”
Mr Hines continued: “Did you know that in the weeks leading up to this incident there had been an increase in knife crime and gang activity in the area.
“Police had been briefed on over 200 offences of violence.”
Ms Williams said: “No, I didn’t”.
The gross misconduct hearing is due to continue over the next month and could result in the five officers facing dismissal from the Metropolitan Police if found guilty.
