By Sheila Mckenzie-
Metropolitan Police officers who shared vile racist messages on WhatsApp comparing Meghan Markle to a golliwog have been sacked.
PC Sukhdev Jeer and PC Paul Hefford posted ‘highly corrosive’ content in a group chat in 2018.
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A panel heard today how PC Sukhdev Jeer and PC Paul Hefford, who worked at a unit at Bethnal Green police station in East London, posted inappropriate, highly offensive and discriminatory content in 2018.
Their actions were ruled ‘abhorrent and discriminatory’, and amounted to gross misconduct.
‘Dismissal is the only appropriate action,’ said chairman Maurice Cohen.
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Jeer and Hefford were based in a unit at Bethnal Green police station in east London when they shared the messages.
They also failed to challenge or report offensive messages being posted in the group.
Messages from former officer Richard Hammond, who was also in the group – including a discriminatory message about the London borough of Tower Hamlets – were found to amount to misconduct.
Jeer was the ‘most active contributing member’, the tribunal, at the Empress State Building in west London, heard. He shared an image of a golliwog toy captioned ‘a sneak preview at Meghan’s wedding dress’.
Another picture showed a young boy wearing a hoodie, captioned ‘monkey in the jungle’.
A further post said: ‘Everyone is so politically correct these days.
‘You can’t even say, “Black paint,” you have to say, “Tyrone can you please paint that wall?”’
Meanwhile Hefford posted a picture of two black men lying next to two white women, captioned: ‘Girls’ trip to Jamaica. One came back pregnant, the other came back with syphilis. (Just kidding, they’re both still missing.)’
Mr Cohen said the decision to sack the serving officers was based on the seriousness of their behaviour, the culpability and the harm the messages caused.
They were ‘corrosive and discriminatory’ to members of the public ‘including those in the local community’, which is ‘extremely diverse’, he said.
PC Sukhdev Jeer arriving for a misconduct hearing at Empress State Building, London. It is alleged that former Officer Richard Hammond, PC Paul Hefford and PC Sukhdev Jeer were part of a WhatsApp messaging group which was used to exchange messages, memes and other content which was inappropriate, highly offensive and discriminatory.
At an earlier hearing Mr Cohen said: ‘The postings in this group caused serious reputational damage to the Metropolitan Police as a whole.
‘They were mocking and discriminatory to many sections of society the Metropolitan Police force was meant to be policing.’
The posts took place ‘over an extended period of time’ and the officers ‘should have been aware’ of their ‘unacceptable nature’, the tribunal ruled.
They were ‘overtly racist, ableist and sexist’, Mr Cohen said.
Barrister Ben Summers argued Jeer should not be fired over a ‘handful of inappropriate jokes’ which he suggested caused ‘limited harm’.
He described the disgraced officer as a ‘long-serving’ member of the force who should be allowed ‘an opportunity for learning’, through a warning.
Former PC Richard Hammond Image: Evening Standard
Michael Shaw, representing Hefford, said he was embarrassed and had learned a ‘sad lesson’.
‘Simply sacking him won’t restore public confidence in the Met,’ Mr Shaw added.
Vishal Misra, representing the Met, said: ‘The panel has found the postings were abhorrent and discriminatory in nature and the damage it has done to public confidence is substantial and far-reaching.’
Mr Misra also said ‘trust once lost is not easily regained’, adding dismissal was required to maintain public confidence in the force.
The now-ex officers were also criticised for failing to show remorse and contrition and trying to make excuses for their behaviour.
It is yet another blow to the reputation of the Met Police, which was this week placed in special measures after a string of scandals.
Commander Jon Savell of Professional Standards at the Met said: “These vile messages were shared in 2018 within a closed WhatsApp group between a small group of officers. I hardly need to say it is completely unacceptable for anyone, let alone a police officer, to behave in such a manner. The actions of these three are inexcusable.
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