The whingeing detective ...
Policeman loses 12th employment case in a decade… now he’s preparing the next
A DETECTIVE who has been losing employment tribunals against the Metropolitan Police for a decade has had his 12th case thrown out.
But despite the judge saying he had no evidence, Derrick Quarm, 44, is already preparing his next legal battles against his employers.
He accused colleagues of burying a report he compiled accusing the Met of harbouring criminal networks and demanded £25,000 in compensation ‘for injury to feelings’ in a racism claim.
The force labelled his allegations ‘ wild, unfounded and entirely unsupported’ before a judge ruled they were ‘totally without merit’.
But Mr Quarm, of south London, said he would appeal against the judgment and one made in a second case he lost last year, potentially leading to his 13th and 14th claims. The detective made his first claim against the force in 2008 after being overlooked for promotion eight times.
Over the next nine years, he claimed he faced a campaign of ‘hostility’ from colleagues who accused him of incompetence. He made allegations of racism and discrimination, and said the behaviour of others stopped him solving a murder. All of the cases were dismissed or withdrawn.
In his latest case, Mr Quarm accused colleagues of burying his report entitled ‘The Complete Ridiculous’, in which he accused the Metropolitan Police of suppressing the investigation of corruption and criminal networks in its ranks.
According to employment tribunal documents, Mr Quarm claimed he was a whistleblower but his employer refused to properly record his complaints. He also said he was the victim of racial discrimination.
But Judge Julie Jones rejected the claim at a preliminary hearing in East London, ruling that Mr Quarm had produced no supporting evidence.
She said the latest case, heard earlier this year, was largely an ‘amalgamation’ of previous claims.
Bizarrely, the detective had said the force failed to investigate him for misconduct over a ‘pattern of preventable deaths’ linked to him.
Judge Jones said this was ‘difficult to comprehend’ and that it was not clear if Mr Quarm was admitting ‘wrongdoing’.
Speaking last night, Mr Quarm said: ‘This is not about racism – it is about corruption. I have done what I am supposed to do by saying, “There are some corrupt officers.”
‘It is after that where things have gone wrong. These cases have not concluded. The latest was struck out without a hearing – the evidence was never tested.’
He said he was fighting for his professional reputation.
He added that he had given evidence in a range of criminal cases. ‘If I am lying about this, surely I could be lying about other things – and that would make me an uncredible professional witness,’ he said.
The Metropolitan Police said it was aware of the tribunal claims and confirmed that Mr Quarm remains a serving officer.