Policeman fired for sick videos ‘has council job’
Ex-officer who shared vile footage works with the vulnerable
ASHAMED West Midlands police officer, sacked from the force for exchanging extreme pornographic and race hate videos with a fellow officer, has gained a job with Birmingham City Council – helping vulnerable families.
Adam Burt was fired by West Midlands Police in 2019 and left with a withering rebuke from Chief Constable Dave Thompson.
The police chief told Burt the force “didn’t need people like you”.
Yet the shocking stain on Burt’s CV has not stopped him gaining work with the city council’s community safety team as an investigator.
A whistleblower told the Birmingham Post that the disgraced policeman has been working within the “exempt accommodation” scheme.
Exempt accommodation is a form of social housing for people considered to be vulnerable, such as those who used to be homeless.
Landlords are supposed to ensure tenants receive care and support as well as a roof over their heads, and the housing is free from the usual rules which cap the level of housing benefit tenants can claim.
A source said: “Burt has had direct contact with vulnerable families, he enters their homes. That is not on and a lot of people are unhappy.
“It should not have happened and the question is, how did this happen? Someone didn’t do the background checks.”
A spokesman for the local authority said Burt was an agency employee and they were unaware of his background.
He said the onus was on the agency to conduct checks.
In a statement, the council said: “We can tell you that the individual is an agency employee.
“We were not aware of any of the issues brought to our attention and have now investigated further and taken action.”
The council has not revealed the nature of the action taken.
Burt was the subject of a police misconduct hearing on March 13, 2019, when Chief Constable Thompson found his professional behaviour and that of a fellow officer had amounted to gross misconduct.
That hearing was told a mobile phone was seized and, as part of another investigation, “pornographic and discriminatory material” was discovered.
The Chief Constable said: “These disgusting videos were extreme, showing women being degraded and violence used. The actions of the two
officers does not fit in to the ethics of West Midlands Police.
“West Midlands Police does not need people like you. The force will be better without you both.”
The police investigation found the fellow officer had sent extreme pornographic videos to Pc Burt on
Whats-app portraying sexual violence against women and beastiality. Another video exchanged between the two was racist.
Ms Victoria Von Wachter, representing West Midlands Police, said: “The videos sent were of an extreme and violent pornographic nature. There were a large number of videos and images exchanged between the two men. Some were exchanged in their own time but others were exchanged when the men were on duty.
“One video was of a national anthem with a racist theme. We say the actions of these men amount to gross misconduct.”
Speaking at the hearing, PC Burt apologised for his actions.
He said: “I am sorry and embarrassed and ashamed that it has come to this. I made a big mistake. It was a mixture of stupidity and naivety.
“I always wanted to be a police officer and I was proud to work in a job I loved.”
On business directory LinkedIn, Burt describes himself as an investigator on a temporary contract with Birmingham City Council.
The online CV also pinpoints his previous employment with West Midlands Police.
He describes himself as an “energetic manager with leadership skills”.