An ex-Metropolitan Police officer has been cleared of indecent assault charges on a minor.

In May last year, Gurpal Virdi, 56, from Hounslow West London, was charged with indecent assault of a prisoner and misconduct in public office relating to an incident almost 30 years ago where he detained a young person.

Mr Virdi was accused of racially abusing the black prisoner and sexually assaulting him with a collapsible asp in the back of a police van.

The incident occurred while he was working as an officer in the borough of Wandsworth.

At Southwark Crown Court on Friday the former copper was found not guilty of the offence, said to have taken place in 1986.

Following the result Mr Virdi has now hit out at the Met, who he believes have looked to destroy his reputation after he spoke out about institutionalised racism within the force.

He said: “When I joined the MPS in 1982 Battersea was my first post. I was the first Asian police officer in the area and the community were really supportive of me.

“I grew attached to the area and felt like the people of Wandsworth needed to know the truth about the racial injustices within the force. Police are at the forefront of a community, if you can offer a better service then why not go for it? A police force without racial injustices is a better police force.

“I challenged racism and inequality within the force and helped with a lot of support cases for colleagues facing such injustices. After I gave evidence in the Stephen Lawrence enquiry I was immediately ostracised. I was disciplined and nobody would talk to me.

“There are a lot of good officers, but some of them are stuck in a 70s mindset towards ethnic minorities and this needs to be removed from the force.”

Mr Virdi left the force in 2012, but not before facing two employment tribunals, both of which he won.

Dismissed in 2000 over allegations he had sent hate mail and tried to frame a colleague for racism while still working in Wandsworth, he was later reinstated and paid compensation. In 2007 a second tribunal found Mr Virdi had been discriminated against in being passed over for promotion.

He said: “I left the Metropolitan Police due to continual harassment and went into local politics. The harassment didn’t stop though and Labour suspended me because of the allegations. I ran as an independent candidate and won the vote because the community didn’t believe the accusations. I am thankful for that.

“To have this hanging over me and tarnishing my reputation all these years has been awful but it was a very quick (50 minutes), unanimous decision from the jury and I’m just glad that it is over.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Fiona Taylor, of the directorate of professional standards at the Met, said: “Once allegations such as these were raised by the victim it was only right that we investigated them thoroughly and impartially.

“That investigation was entirely focused on securing what evidence was available, with respect to what were undeniably very serious allegations. It would not have been proper to proceed in any other way.

“We presented the evidence to the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] who decided the allegations and evidence should be heard by a jury.”