Royal Pc ‘sent lewd texts to teenager’

A MARRIED police officer responsible for guarding the Royal family should be sacked immediately for gross misconduct after sending a teenage girl “highly sexualised and abusive” text messages, a misconduct panel has recommended.

Royalty and Specialist Protection Police constable Andrew Daly had previously admitted taking the number of a 16-yearold girl while he was on duty at Buckingham Palace in May 2016 and sending her “disrespectful” text messages.

Although the officer said he did not know how young she was, the panel at his misconduct hearing yesterday found that he “clearly knew she was very young”.

The independent chairman, Akbar Khan, told the hearing at the Empress State Building in west London that the panel found Daly’s actions had amounted to gross misconduct.

Mr Khan said that despite a long record of service, the panel had no option but to recommend Daly’s dismissal without notice.

He said the text messages, which included one where Daly admitted he was married and another asking the teenager if she was a virgin, were “highly sexualised and abusive”.

Mr Khan added: “He was fully responsible for initiating the contact whilst in a position of trust.

“The complainant was 16 years old at the time of the incident and was a vulnerable person by reason of the imbalance of power between the two.

“Members of the public would be appalled by the conduct of the officer towards the complainant, especially given his role as a specialist officer in a highly visible role. In the circumstances, the panel considers that dismissal without notice is the appropriate and only decision.”

Daly did not attend the hearing or contest the allegations.