Did Met Police try to conceal details of damning case of officer Oliver Birch's bizarre Lambo cocaine bender with students that ended in violence?

On March 21 2023 there were widespread headlines that the Met Police was institutionally Racist, homophobic and corrupt.

The damning conclusion came from Baroness Louise Casey who had been asked to review cultures

within the force in the wake of the horrific murder of Sarah Everard (above) by serving officer Wayne Couzens (below).

The institutionally corrupt element stemmed from what she said was the force's unwillingness to accept that accusation levelled by the publication of a review two years earlier into its handling of the unsolved axe murder of private eye Daniel Morgan (below) in south London in 1987, a case mired in police corruption claims.

The Morgan review claimed the force was more interested in maintaining its reputation than investigating alleged corruption, and Baroness Casey (below) said this had to change.

It is ironic that less than two weeks before her report was published, a Met Police officer called Oliver Birch, 45, was arrested for a drug fueled attack on a Sussex Police officer - PS Matthew Seekings.

Further details of the Birch case emerged this week after the Met finally published the outcome of his misconduct case some 20 months after the event, outside of the Police Conduct Regulations.

The summary laid bare how PS Seekings described the "brutal" cocaine fuelled attack on him by another officer as the "single most terrifying incident of his life" that haunts him "daily."

Birch attacked him while off duty in a Brighton hotel room after a bizarre cocaine bender.

He repeatedly punched and then stamped on Mr Seekings when he single-handedly tried to arrest and handcuff him in his room at the DoubleTree Hilton Brighton Metropole hotel in the early hours of March 9 2023.

PS Seekings, who was commended for bravery this year after he and another sergeant swam 60 metres out to sea in the dark in May 2024 to rescue a teenaged girl, required treatment at the Royal Sussex County Hospital for multiple injuries following the attack.

It was after Birch took a hired Lamborghini Huracán (main image is the actual car Birch hired) to Brighton and bizarrely openly took cocaine with students after informing them he was a serving police officer.

Birch, who worked in the Met's Specialist Crime Command Unit, investigating organised crime, then went back to an address in Russell Square, (below) Brighton, occupied by one of the partygoers.

But, events turned sour after he suspected someone had taken the keys to the hire vehicle, and he smashed a window at the property with a police baton.

Birch then left the scene in the car, but had already provided them with the room number of the hotel he was staying at, after inviting some of them back to take drugs.

PS Seekings went to the room alone to investigate before the attack.

Details of the impact on the experienced officer have been released in a summary of Birch's misconduct case, which was published for the first time this month 20 months after it took place in November 2023.

Met Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray (below) wrote in the newly-released summary: "There is no question that PC Birch’s actions in the brutal attack on PS (Seekings) caused (him) harm, both physical and mental harm.

"That is evident from the medical evidence

detailing (his) multiple physical injuries. The harm that PS (Seekings) (pictured below) has suffered in the aftermath of the incident is detailed in his witness statement.

"I note, in particular (his) reference to it being the single most terrifying incident of his life, and that he still thinks about it daily. PS (Seeking's) personal impact statement is a powerful account of how he felt and continues to feel as a highly trained police officer.

"A notional member of the public would have their confidence in the MPS understandably severely shaken should they learn of an officer, found in a hotel with high levels of cocaine in his system, before going on to commit an unprovoked and brutal assault on a fellow officer.

"He took cocaine and he seriously assaulted a police officer who came to the hotel room for the purposes of conducting an enquiry. The officer was not accompanied by any other officer, he was single crewed on that night.

"In respect of allegation one, relating to PC Birch’s unprovoked and brutal attack on PS (Seekings), there can be no question that PC Birch was fully responsible for his actions. On reviewing the body worn footage it is clear that the attack was intentional and deliberate and no doubt committed in an attempt to evade arrest for his actions that night."

The summary revealed that Birch unsuccessfully tried to get the misconduct case adjourned, but then made no further representations and did not attend or have any representation at the hearing.

Ms Gray found his conduct was aggravated by "the clear premeditation in obtaining the cocaine" and "multiple breaches of the standard of professional behaviour."

She said Birch, whose duties included surveillance of organised crime gangs, must have obtained the drugs illegally which left him open to "blackmail."

After other officers arrived at the hotel room, Birch was arrested on suspicion of assault on an emergency worker, criminal damage and possession of class A drugs, only after being tasered.

When Sussex Police officers searched his hotel room in the Metrople (below) they found suspected cocaine separated into lines.

Two bank cards were located next to the drugs with a Met Police warrant card in Birch's name nearby.

A further search revealed a safe containing a quantity of wraps and a large amount of cash, a second safe containing a phone, sim cards and Birch's passport.

An extendable baton was found in his back pocket.

The hire car was also searched which contained a rucksack containing a Met Police laptop and the open "class A" force evidence bag.

Birch told officers "it was all over" and that he wished to "commit suicide" and apologised for the assault upon arrest.

Birch was initially bailed for mental health treatment and later interviewed on June 1 2023 about the Sussex incident, making no comment throughout.

He was charged with five offences on September 7 2023, including offering to supply a quantity of cocaine, criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon (the baton), assault against Mr Seekings and driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of cocaine.

Birch denied possession with intent to supply and the driving offence, which were withdrawn, but admitted the others.

He was sentenced on March 22 2024 and received a 24-month community order with a mental health treatment for the offence of ABH, 150 hours unpaid work and 15 days of Rehabilitative Activity Requirement.

He received a £1 fine for each of the remaining offences and was ordered to pay PC Seekings £1000 compensation.

Birch has been contacted through his lawyer.

Yet, details of Birch's offending may never have become public if a report about his actions had not been leaked to Essex News and Investigations.

Three months after he was arrested the report was sent to our editor who initially wrote an article about the investigation into Birch without naming him, as he had yet to be charged.

In September 2023, he was charged, and police forces usually make public details about serving officers who are charged with criminal offences and those who are convicted in the interest of transparency.

However, after Birch was charged, convicted and sentenced, neither the Met Police or Sussex Police released anything proactively.

Usually, a force will wait until a criminal case has concluded before holding a misconduct hearing.

If the officer is convicted of an offence, this will be called an accelerated misconduct hearing, and it is held soon after so that the officer can be formally dismissed due to the conviction, with details then published.

In an unusual step, the Met chose to hold an accelerated misconduct hearing for Birch in November 2023, just four months before his criminal court case concluded.

It has since said that the hearing was held completely in private so as not to prejudice the upcoming criminal case.

Under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020, the Met should have published something about Birch's misconduct allegations ahead of the case taking place and then released a summary of the outcome for at least 28 days afterwards.

But, the force has admitted it did neither.

Details of the misconduct case have only now been officially published by the Met after Essex News and Investigations raised questions with the force and bodies it answers to over why nothing was released about the case at the time.

It is also understood that a Freedom of Information Act request was also made for access to the summary.

Most misconduct cases are heard publicly, like a court case, and the public and press are able to apply to attend.

In certain cases, the chair of the misconduct panel can redact certain details and even anonymise officer's if there are fears over their mental health or to prevent the risk of identifying witnesses or prejudicing ongoing criminal proceedings.

Cases can also be held partially or fully in private, for similar reasons, but the notices and summaries still need to be published, even if anonymised or heavily redacted.

Earlier this year, a Met Police spokesperson said: "PC Birch was dismissed from the Met on Monday, 20 November 2023 following a gross misconduct hearing. The hearing was held in private to ensure it did not prejudice the then ongoing Sussex Police investigation. "There was no notice published before or after the private hearing due to ongoing criminal proceedings.

"We are not providing further information that is not already in the public domain."

A spokesperson for His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, which has been looking at whether forces comply with the misconduct regulations as part of a Police integrity inspection programme, referred to the Police Complaints and Misconduct Regulations.

These state: "A notice advertising a misconduct hearing must be published by the force on its website at least five working days before the day on which the hearing is to take place.

"The advert will name the officer subject of the hearing, their rank and will mention the subject matter of the investigation, unless such disclosure is deemed inappropriate.

"For example, this may occur in cases where there may be welfare risks to those involved or risk to sensitive police operations. In these instances, details would be anonymised.

"All police forces must publish on their websites the results of all decisions made by disciplinary panels under the police’s internal misconduct system. This needs to be kept online for at least 28 days."

Sussex Police spokesperson only released details of Birch's conviction in response to a press inquiry.

A spokesperson said: "Decisions on whether to proactively publicise court proceedings are made on a case-by-case basis taking into account a number of factors, to ensure the level of publicity is proportionate.

"In this instance, as Mr Birch did not receive a custodial or suspended sentence, it was felt a proactive release would not have been a proportionate response.

"The Metropolitan Police were notified of our decision, but were not consulted and did not try to influence the decision."

The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), Home Office and Mayor of London's Officer were asked about the Met not publishing details of Birch's case at the time, but would not comment.

The Mayor's office suggested a complaint could be made to the force.

Asked why the force did not publish the summary after the hearing as required by the Police Conduct Regulations, a Met spokesperson said: "Following the conclusion of a misconduct hearing in November 2023, regarding former PC Oliver Birch, the outcome report was published after it was decided that it would not affect an ongoing criminal investigation. We are unable to comment further while enquiries continue.”