A disgraced police officer who has served time for lying to swerve a traffic offence has failed in a shameless bid to keep his job. Raja Yousaf, 28, claimed the traffic cop who stopped him suggested he was a terrorist ‘based on the fact I’m a Muslim’.
But Chief Constable Stephen Watson dismissed his claim and sacked Yousaf, a PC who had been accepted onto GMP’s firearms unit.
In August, Yousaf was jailed for four months after he admitted perverting the course of justice. The lying cop had claimed the registration had been stolen after his BMW had been discovered driving at speed through Oldham at around midnight on July 30, 2021.
But traffic police are said to have recognised PC Yousaf who drove out of sight despite pursuing cops using their emergency ‘blues and twos’ following the incident on Greenacres Road.
Try MEN Premium now with our amazing New Year offer… just click here to give it a go
GMP says its investigations proved that PC Yousaf’s mobile phone had been in Oldham on the night in question, and not Stockport as he claimed when he was interviewed.
Today (Friday) Yousaf was sacked by Chief Constable Watson following an ‘accelerated misconduct hearing’ at GMP’s headquarters in Newton Heath.
The hearing was told Yousaf had been stopped earlier that night, and he claimed the traffic cop who stopped him suggested to him he was a terrorist. Yousaf told the hearing the encounter left him fearful about the way he would be when he was stopped for a second time.
Mr Watson dismissed his allegations and sacked the ‘disgraced’ officer, finding that in fact the would-be gun cop had been ‘insolent and evasive’ to the traffic officer who he called ‘a tool’. He had also refused to provide his identity documents and had not revealed he was a cop.
Yousaf, of Tunstall Road, Oldham, having served his jail term, appeared at the disciplinary hearing in person, alongside a colleague from the Police Federation which represents rank-and-file cops.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson briefly outlined the case against the officer, that he had been handed a four-month sentence at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting a single offence of perverting the course of justice. The officer admitted his conduct amounted to gross misconduct.
‘You were insolent and evasive’
Sgt Matt Bennet, of the Police Federation, speaking on behalf of the officer, said PC Yousaf believed he had been labelled a ‘terrorist’ during the exchange and that the officer feared this would ruin his chances of joining GMP’s firearms unit. He just been accepted onto the unit, according to Sgt Bennet.
PC Yousaf was worried about what would happen if he was ever stopped by the traffic officer again, said Sgt Bennet.
Speaking for himself, PC Yousaf told the chief constable said he had heard some officers on the Oldham division of GMP had labelled him a ‘terrorist’ following the incident ‘based on the fact I’m a Muslim’.
Despite appearing in person at the hearing in an apparent bid to save his job, the officer said he knew ‘100 per cent’ he would be dismissed. When Chief Constable Watsib pressed the officer how he knew he had been labelled a terrorist by the traffic cop, PC Sinclair, the officer gave no response.
Mr Watson said he had reviewed police body-cam footage of the incident, at PC Yousaf’s request, and said he ‘didn’t see any evidence’ to support his allegation.
“What element of that traffic stop and the conduct of PC Sinclair is it that you are relying upon to suggest faithfully you were fearful of being treated unfairly?” asked the chief constable.
When the officer did not reply, Mr Watson went on that he had ‘watched the body-worn video entirely’. PC Yousaf told the chief constable that when the traffic cop asked for his details he provided his date of birth and address.
“You didn’t give your home address,” said the chief constable, who added: “You see I’m confused. You have suggested to me that the video footage demonstrates that the officer stopping you was so inappropriate it caused you to be fearful that if you were stopped by the officer for a second time you would be treated unfairly.”
Mr Watson said the footage showed the traffic cop ‘repeatedly’ asking Yousaf to identify himself having lawfully stopped for a ‘moving traffic offence’. The traffic officer was ‘required’ to take Yousaf’s details at the scene but Yousaf ‘refused’ to provide proof of identity, said Mr Watson.
The chief constable continued: “In fact you told him you had no identity documents because you had lost them and at no point made a declaration you were a police officer, not that that was germane but you do carry a warrant card don’t you?”
Yousaf replied he didn’t have it on him at the time.
The chief constable went on: “You didn’t say (your address) to him. You were evasive and you were insolent and at one point you called him a tool.”
The traffic officer, by contrast had been polite and called Yousaf ‘sir’ during the exchange even though he had ‘refused’ to provide his details, said Mr Watson. He added he had ‘no evidence to substantiate’ the allegation made against PC Sinclair.
Yousaf ‘proved himelf unworthy’ of police uniform
Sacking ‘disgraced’ Yousaf, the chief constable said: “He stands convicted of a serious criminal offence which by definition amounts to dishonestly and malign conduct.”
Yousaf’s behaviour had been ‘dishonest with a degree of premeditation’, said Mr Watson, who dismissed his claim that the earlier stop had left him believing he would not be treated fairly when he was stopped for the second time. He also dismissed Yousaf’s claim he feared his hopes of joining the firearms unit would be ‘curtailed’, saying this ‘somewhat contradicted’ other claims he had made.
Yousaf had been ‘insolent, unhelpful and personally abusive towards PC Sinclair who was lawfully entitled’ to carry out the stop check, said Mr Watson, adding that he had seen ‘no evidence PC Sinclair was behaving other than in a lawful, polite and tolerant manner’ in the face of ‘intransigence’.
“In short I am unable to find any mitigation what-so-ever,” he said.
Mr Watson also dismissed the ‘single throwaway comment that even if made could fairly justify his assertion he has somehow been branded a terrorist’.
Yousaf had ‘proven himself unworthy’ of his uniform, had ‘diminished public confidence in policing’ and had ‘misconducted yourself deliberately, repeatedly and criminally’, concluded the chief constable.
Aside from being sacked, Yousaf was also added to the Royal College of Policing ‘barred list’, which means he cannot return to any role in policing.
Yousaf, wearing a suit but no socks, leaned back in his chair and appeared unconcerned as the conclusion was delivered.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
