A Metropolitan Police officer has become the first person to be charged as a result of a BBC Panorama investigation into alleged misconduct at Charing Cross police station in London.

Sgt Sadiq Al-Hasani, 37, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Met Police said the charge related to an allegation Sgt Al-Hasani, who was attached to Central West Command Unit, "deliberately sought to discourage another officer from making a statement to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)".

The IOPC had begun an investigation following the broadcast on 1 October 2025 of BBC Panorama – Undercover in the Police.

As part of the programme, a BBC journalist went undercover working in the custody suite, secretly filming a number of officers making racist comments and bragging about violence used against suspects.

Al-Hasani was charged on 13 August in relation to an incident on 2 October 2025.

In a statement, the IOPC said Sgt Al-Hasani allegedly approached a junior officer, who was a potential key witness in the wider Charing Cross investigation, with the intention to obstruct or interfere with the probe.

The IOPC began its investigation after a mandatory conduct referral from the Met on 3 October.

As part of this, the IOPC reviewed footage gathered as part of the programme which was not broadcast.

Its investigation finished in June, at which point it decided to refer a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.

According to the IOPC, 15 officers have been found to have committed gross misconduct. All except one of the 15, a former PC, have been barred from policing.

Investigations continue into the conduct of a further 14 officers or police staff.