Friday 1 July 2022 04:18 PM Met Police officers are sacked for sharing deeply racist and offensive WhatsApp ... trends now
Two Metropolitan Police officers have been sacked after posting offensive messages in a group chat, including a racist joke about the Duchess of Sussex, a hearing has heard.
Pc Sukhdev Jeer and Pc Paul Hefford, who worked in a unit at Bethnal Green police station in east London, posted inappropriate, highly offensive and discriminatory content on WhatsApp in 2018.
Their actions, labelled 'abhorrent and discriminatory', amounted to gross misconduct, the tribunal decided on Friday, resulting in them being dismissed from the force.
They also failed to challenge and/or report the members of the group after receiving the offensive messages.
The hearing at the Empress State Building, in west London, heard the posts, including one comparing Meghan Markle to a 'golliwog' toy, were 'discriminatory and serious in nature'.
Pc Paul Hefford (left) and Pc Sukhdev Jeer (right) have been sacked by the Met Police after posting offensive messages in a group chat
Messages from former officer Richard Hammond, who was also in the group, were regarded as misconduct by the tribunal panel.
Delivering the panel's decision Chair Maurice Cohen said their actions were 'significant and extremely serious.'
Mr Cohen said the 'outcomes are not designed to punish, but must be proportionate.
'They were mocking and discriminatory to many sections of society the Metropolitan Police force was meant to be policing.
'Bethnal Green is an extremely diverse area.
'Discrimination of a person of any protected characteristic is never justified,' he said.
'The only appropriate outcome in this case is dismissal without notice.'
Mr Cohen said the posts took place 'over an extended period of time' and that the officers 'should have been aware' of their 'unacceptable nature'.
He added: '[They] should have been aware these posts were overtly racist, ableist and sexist.'
Pc Jeer, described as the 'most active contributing member', posted a series of 'highly discriminatory and offensive' pictures and messages.
The defence barrister representing Pc Sukhdev Jeer (pictured) argued the officer should not be dismissed over a 'handful of inappropriate jokes'
It was heard that in one message, Pc Jeer shared an image of a 'golliwog' toy that was
