A POLICEMAN who tried to frame a female officer for dealing drugs with his brother has been jailed.

PC Joseph Prasad, 32, and his brother Dominic, 27, of Branch Road, Hainault, were given seven and three years behind bars respectively.

PC Prasad, who worked for the Met Police’s specialist crime and operations team, was arrested on June 7 2016 in Romford with one of his female colleagues after an anonymous tip off about a man and woman dealing drugs.

In custody PC Prasad picked up the woman’s handbag claiming he was looking for her warrant card and produced two packets of white powder.

He claimed he found them in there, but forensic tests showed his DNA was on them and when both of them were tested for drugs both results were negative.

Investigations revealed PC Prasad also had two mobile phones that had been used to make anonymous phone calls to the police over a period of two months.

Calls had also been made to Crimestoppers and the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) in a bid to frame the woman.

His brother Dominic’s phone also made similar calls and he was subsequently arrested and charged.

Speaking after the sentencing on August 24, Chief Superintendent Matthew Gardner, Directorate of Professional Standards said: "Police Constable Joseph Prasad, together with his brother, embarked on a determined and malicious campaign to frame his colleague in an attempt to sabotage her career.

"Their actions have been thoroughly investigated by the DPS Specialist Investigations Unit and PC Prasad has quite correctly had to face the consequences in a court of law."

A police nternal misconduct hearing will now take place.