Police officer sentenced for using incapacitant spray on man climbing down from 12th floor of high-rise

A Metropolitan Police officer has been sentenced today after using an incapacitant spray on a man climbing down the drainpipe of a high-rise building.

Luke Wenham, 31, deployed two cans of PAVA spray whilst trying to apprehend his victim for robbery related offences.

Having forced entry into the home of the victim, officers were informed that the victim had left via a window on the 12th floor flat to evade arrest. As the victim scaled down the building on to a nearby drainpipe, Wenham approached the window and sprayed a can of PAVA into the face of the victim.

As the victim hid from officers in a nearby flat, Wenham equipped himself with another can of PAVA from another officer at the scene. He then deployed a second can of the incapacitant spray as the victim returned to the drainpipe and continued his descent from the eighth storey of the building.

Following his conviction of two counts of common assault, Wenham was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court today (Wednesday, 26 July 2023) to a 12-month community order. He was also ordered to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity and was given a three-month curfew and 100 hours of unpaid work. The judge also made an order for £625 in costs and a further £114 for the Victim Surcharge.

Adeniyi Ogunleye, from the CPS, said: “Luke Wenham sprayed two cans of PAVA at the victim whilst he was in a vulnerable situation, scaling down a drainpipe on the side of a high-rise building. Wenham clearly used inappropriate force to apprehend the victim whilst on duty.”