A 56-year-old man has been charged after a Metropolitan Police officer was stabbed in the leg while executing a warrant in Cockfosters, north London. The charge is a material development in a wider organised-crime investigation that has involved 18 arrests across London and four counties.
Charles Charalambous, of Claremont Road in Cockfosters, was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to resist arrest. He was remanded in custody ahead of a scheduled appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 30 September. The outcome of that hearing has not been verified. The charge is an allegation, not a finding of guilt.
The incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday, 29 September, as officers carried out a search warrant at an address in Cockfosters, in the London Borough of Barnet. The injured officer was taken to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. The injury was previously described as non-life-changing.
Two other men arrested during the same operation were also charged overnight. Carl Robinson, 49, was charged with possessing three knives in a private place. Bradley Byford, 37, was charged with possessing a weapon capable of discharging a noxious substance, identified in the charge as electricity. Both men were bailed in relation to those offences and remain under investigation over the wider case. Their charges are separate from the allegation concerning the officer.
Raids spanned five areas
The operation took place on Tuesday morning at 24 properties in London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. More than 800 officers took part. Seventeen people were arrested during the morning raids and one further arrest was made later that day, bringing the total to 18.
The operation followed months of investigation involving the Metropolitan Police, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Financial Conduct Authority. The inquiry centres on a suspected organised crime group and related financial offending. Those arrested were suspected of offences including involvement in an organised crime group, money laundering, tax evasion, false accounting and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. These remain allegations under investigation.
HMRC and the financial regulator supported searches alongside detectives. The grounds for arrest varied between individuals; the list of suspected offences spans alleged group activity, financial conduct and violence. Evidence gathered during the searches and the months of investigation will need detailed examination as the case proceeds.
The financial regulator’s part of the work included disruption of seven firms and further inquiries involving 30 more. The combined operation brought together police searches and arrests with financial and tax investigations. Its scale was reflected in the number of properties searched and the range of locations, rather than in any conclusion about guilt or the ultimate reach of the alleged group.
The stabbing charge also differs from the wider case in its immediate procedural status. Charalambous was remanded in custody in connection with that charge. The two men charged on the separate weapons allegations were bailed for those matters, while enquiries into the wider investigation continue. The remaining allegations will require examination of evidence before any decisions about further proceedings.
Searches at some addresses were expected to continue after the raids, with a police presence potentially remaining for several days. The investigation is continuing, and the next steps depend on the examination of material gathered during the operation and the court process. No outcome should be inferred from an arrest or charge alone.
