British athlete Bianca Williams said she was "shocked" at how much a crowdfunding page set up to help two police officers sacked for their roles in a stop-and-search incident of her and partner Ricardo Dos Santos has raised ©Getty Images

British athlete Bianca Williams says she is "shocked" at the amount of money raised by a crowdfunding page set up to support two police officers sacked for their roles in a stop-and-search incident of her and Portuguese athlete Ricardo Dos Santos.

Metropolitan Police officers Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks were dismissed after a gross misconduct hearing found they lied over smelling cannabis in Dos Santos car, after the couple were stopped by officers in London in July 2020.

Following the hearing, a crowdfunding page was anonymously set up, and is being run by a person known only as "UK."

The page was set up with the target of raising £50,000 ($60,000/€57,290) but has so far raised £140,000 ($170,000/€160,000).

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour programme Williams said: "It’s quite shocking, really and truly, the amount of money that’s been raised.

"I’ve seen some of the comments saying that they shouldn’t have lost their jobs but they lied.

"The officers lied at the end of the day and there has to be a punishment towards that.

"We can’t accept that in the police force.

"That shouldn’t be allowed, so therefore they lost their jobs for that.

"I’m still shocked by it."

An introduction posted on the crowdfunding page reads: "This page has been created in order to support two former Metropolitan Police officers who on October 25 were dismissed without notice - PC Jonathan Clapham and PC Sam Franks.

"This comes at a time of great austerity where both will be affected by mortgage payments, food bills and general cost of living.

"Despite people’s personal views on this decision, this page has been created to solely support the officers and their families at this difficult time.

"So please refrain from airing them on this platform.

"Every penny will go to the support of the officers and their families."

Williams, a double Commonwealth champion in the women’s 4x100 metres relay and a bronze medallist in the same event at this year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, and her partner Dos Santos, believe they were racially profiled by police.

Their vehicle was stopped on the way back from a training session by police who claimed they had drugs and weapons inside.

The couple were handcuffed by police while the vehicle was searched, with their three-year-old baby inside, although nothing was found.