Met officers guilty over offensive Katie Price son messages

Eight serving and former Metropolitan Police officers have been found guilty of gross misconduct over offensive messages shared in a WhatsApp group.

The "discriminatory and offensive" messages included some that made fun of Katie Price's disabled son.

The officers, seven men and one woman, were found to have sent sexist, racist, homophobic and transphobic messages between May 2016 and June 2018.

They also failed to challenge other group members' conduct, a panel found.

Some messages allegedly "applauded sexual violence against women", the fifth day of a hearing in central London was told.

The hearing concerned former Sgt Luke Thomas, former acting Sgt Luke Allen, former PC Kelsey Buchan, former PC Carlo Francisco, former PC Lee South, former PC Darren Jenner, PC Glynn Rees, and "Officer B", who has been granted anonymity.

The panel heard that "Officer B" posted an edited photograph of Harvey Price in a chat, accompanied by a caption that had a "racist tone" and made fun of his disability.

Mr Price, 20, has Prader-Willi syndrome, autism and is partially-sighted.

Legal chairman of the panel Christopher McKay described the post as a "significant breach of the standard of equality and diversity", as well as, "inappropriate and offensive" to Mr Price, and said it had constituted "gross misconduct".

He described gross misconduct as a "breach of the standards of professional behaviour that is so serious as to justify dismissal".

TV presenter and model Ms Price previously described the messages as "disgusting". In February, she posted a letter from the Met Police to her Instagram account, which informed her of the upcoming misconduct hearing.

Ex-PC Luke Thomas, the most senior-ranking officer in the group, "appears to have been one of the most active participants" in the WhatsApp group, the panel found.

Mr Thomas mocked Mr Price's weight in some messages and called a junior female officer "ugly".

He also joked he should name his dog "Auschwitz" or "Adolf", or "Fred" or "Ian" after "my two favourite child sex killers", the hearing was told.

Mr McKay said Mr Thomas's failings were "extremely serious".

"He could and should have closed the WhatsApp group as soon as the highly inappropriate nature of the messages became apparent.

"Instead he became one of its main contributors. This was undoubtedly gross misconduct," Mr McKay said.

The hearing follows a string of high-profile scandals at the Metropolitan Police.

A year-long review into the force concluded last month that racism, misogyny, and homophobia were rife within the the ranks.

Baroness Louise Casey was appointed to review the force's culture and standards after the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving police officer Wayne Couzens, in 2021.

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