By Gavin Mackintosh-
Eight serving and former Metropolitan Police officers have been found guilty of gross misconduct over “discriminatory and offensive” messages they shared.
Some of the offensive messages included were aimed at TV star Katie Price’s disabled son, Harvey.
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The officers including seven men and one woman were all found to have sent sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and disablist comments in a WhatsApp group called “Secret Squirrel Shit” between May 17, 2016, and June 26, 2018.
It comes just a month after a damning report on the Metropolitan police, Louise Casey, said it was guilty of institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia.
In what had been a long running investigation of up to two years, with a five day hearing which began in February this year. The final decision on the disciplinary measures to be concluded tomorrow, Wednesday.
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Daniel Hobbs, representing the force, called for all eight officers and former officers to be dismissed and placed on the police barred list.
Speaking at the hearing after the guilty rulings, Mr Hobbs said this should happen “as a priority”. This would mean they would never be able to work for the police again.
Two of the eight officers are still serving in the force, while the other six have resigned or had already been dismissed.
The panel is set to hand down its sanctions for each officer on Friday.
Legal chair, Christopher Ka Gross misconduct is described as a “breach of the standards of professional behaviour that is so serious as to justify dismissal” by legal chair Christopher McKay.
McKay found each of the former and serving officers to have committed gross misconduct over their own messages, as well as by “failing to challenge or report” the conduct of others in the group on the fifth day of hearings at Palestra House in Southwark.
The hearing concerned former sergeant Luke Thomas, former acting sergeant Luke Allen, former Pc Kelsey Buchan, former Pc Carlo Francisco, former Pc Lee South, former Pc Darren Jenner, Pc Glynn Rees, and another Officer B, who has been granted anonymity.
Representatives of the Met told The Eye Of Media.Com that the anonymity was granted by the legal chair for ”safety concerns”, adding that the decision to anonymise the officer in question was opposed by the Met.
The messages included derogatory comments about 20-year-old Mr Price, who suffers from Prader–Willi syndrome and autism, and about a junior female officer, known in the hearings as Officer A.
Mr McKay said Officer B, who can be named at the end of proceedings, posted an edited photograph of Mr Price in the chat with the caption: “You’ve heard of elf on a shelf, now get ready for Harvey Price eating Uncle Ben’s basmati rice after trying to read three blind mice on spice.”
Mr McKay said: “The rhyme has a racist tone and refers to his disability – he is partially sighted.
“There is no need to refer to Uncle Ben’s rice unless pointing to the racial origins of Uncle Ben and Harvey Price being similar.
“The words ‘trying to read’ also highlight his disability.”
Mr McKay said the post was a “significant breach of the standard of equality and diversity”, “inappropriate and offensive” to Mr Price, and constitutes “gross misconduct”.
The panel found the most senior-ranking officer in the group, Mr Thomas, “appears to have been one of the most active participants” in the WhatsApp group.
Mr Thomas mocked Mr Price’s weight in some messages, called Officer A “f****** ugly”, and joked that he should name his dog “Auschwitz”, “Adolf” or “Fred” or “Ian” after “my two favourite child sex killers”.
Mr McKay said: “Given his supervisory role as a sergeant, he failed to adequately supervise or guide his team in respect of conduct.
“His failings are extremely serious.
“He could and should have closed the WhatsApp group as soon as the highly inappropriate nature of the messages became apparent.
“Instead he became one of its main contributors. This was undoubtedly gross misconduct.”
Katie Price at the time expressed disgust over the posts and called for the offending officers to be jailed.
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