The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Officers fired over racist Meghan joke
Two Metropolitan Police officers have been sacked after posting offensive messages in a group chat, including a racist joke about the Duchess of Sussex.
Constables Sukhdev Jeer and 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, a tribunal decided, leading to their dismissal.
They also failed to challenge and/or report the members of the group after receiving the offensive messages.
The hearing in London heard the posts – including one comparing Meghan to a “golliwog” toy – were “discriminatory and serious in nature”.
Messages from former officer Richard Hammond, who was also in the group, were also regarded as misconduct.
Chairman Maurice Cohen said the panel came to the decision having assessed the seriousness of the behaviour, the culpability and the harm the messages caused.
He said: “Dismissal is the only appropriate action.”
It means the men cannot be employed by other police bodies across the UK.
Mr Cohen slammed the posts as “highly corrosive and discriminatory” to members of the public “including those in the local community” they served.
He had earlier said: “The postings in this group caused serious reputational damage to the Metropolitan Police as a whole.”
Jeer, described as the “most active contributing member”, posted a series of “highly discriminatory and offensive” pictures and messages.
It was heard that in one message, he shared an image of a “golliwog” toy that was captioned: “A sneak preview at Meghan’s wedding dress.”
Barrister Ben Summers had argued Jeer should not be dismissed over a “handful of inappropriate jokes” which caused “limited harm”.
He was a “long-serving” member of the force who should be allowed “an opportunity for learning”, through a warning.
Commander Jon Savell, Professional Standards, 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.
“The whole of the Met is focused on rooting out anyone who displays this type of behaviour and lets down the Met and the public we serve.”
Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett, who leads Central East, also slammed their “repulsive behaviour”, saying the men “rightfully” lost their jobs.