Student: I was beaten by police

Francis Foord-Brown, 18, said he was targeted after police were called to a pub in south London following reports of anti-social behaviour.

Mr Foord-Brown claims officers dragged him to a secluded corner where he was pinned to the wall by his throat and kneed in the groin twice and then thrown onto the pavement outside The Royal Albert pub in Bolney Street, Vauxhall.

He was then lifted off the ground by his handcuffs - taking skin off his wrists - before being put in a van and hit repeatedly about the head, he claimed.

Officers drove him to Kennington Police Station where he was handed a public order notice with an £80 fine and told to go home. The Met has now launched an investigation into last Friday night's incident, after the Independent Police Complaints Commission was alerted by the youngster's mother.

The engineering student, from Vauxhall, said: "It was the joint birthday of two girls and we were all in this pub. The problem was that I think details of the party had circulated on the web.

"There were lots of people outside and apparently the police were called. I didn't know anything about it until one of them tried to take my drink off me.

"At first I thought it was because they weren't sure how old I was so I reached to get my ID. I admit I was a bit lippy but then they dragged me to a secluded part of the pub and throttled me and kneed me twice in the groin. I was in so much pain and my head was spinning, but they were so aggressive.

"They handcuffed me and lifted me off the ground just by the handcuffs. It was agony. Then they threw me in the van and hit me around the head. I couldn't defend myself, all I could do was turn my head away. My lip was bleeding from the inside and my head was hurting. I was pleading for them to stop as they were hurling abuse at me as well."

Mr Foord-Brown's mother, Mary, immediately complained and said that she is desperate to stop the same thing happening to anyone else's child.

The 42-year-old, who was nominated for the Mayor's Civic Award in 2000 for her community work, added: "Even if he had been a bit lippy with the officers, that is absolutely no excuse.

"Now Francis is scared that he will be targeted by other police officers because he has spoken out against this barbaric treatment."

A police spokesman said Mr Foord-Brown had been "drunk and disorderly".