PC Sukhdev Jeer and PC Paul Hefford, who worked in a unit at Bethnal Green police station in east London, posted inappropriate, highly offensive and discriminatory content in 2018. The hearing at the Empress State Building, west London, heard the posts on a closed WhatsApp group, including one comparing Meghan to a “********” toy, were “biased and serious in nature”. The news comes as the UK’s biggest police force was placed under special measures this week following a series of failings. The pair’s actions, described as “abhorrent and discriminatory”, amounted to gross misconduct, a court ruled on Friday, meaning they were dismissed from the force. It means the men, whose actions were branded “totally unacceptable” by the Met, cannot be employed by other police agencies across the UK. Chairman Maurice Cohen said “dismissal is the only appropriate action.”
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“Highly biased” messages. PC Jeer, described as the “most active contributing member”, posted a series of “highly biased and offensive” photos and messages. It was heard that in one message, PC Jeer shared an image of a “**” game with the caption: “A sneak preview of Meghan’s wedding dress”. Another was of a young boy in a hoodie captioned “ in the jungle”. Mr Cohen criticized the posts as “highly corrosive and discriminatory” to members of the public “including those of the local community” they served. Posts were made over a “long period of time” He had earlier said the messages had caused “severe damage to the reputation of the Metropolitan Police as a whole”. Mr Cohen said the posts took place “over a long period of time” and officers “should have been aware” of their “unacceptable nature”. He added: “(They should) know that these posts were blatantly racist, ableist and sexist.” “Dismissal is only appropriate action” The men also failed to challenge and/or report the group members after receiving the abusive messages. The Met Police have come under fire in the past for officer misconduct and the use of WhatsApp group chats. Denise Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were both jailed after taking and sharing on WhatsApp images of the bodies of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman found dead in a west London park. Lawyer Ben Summers had argued that PC Jeer should not have been dropped for a “handful of inappropriate jokes” which caused “limited harm”. Michael Shaw, representing PC Hefford, said the officer found his posts “embarrassing and difficult” and had learned a “sad lesson”. Messages from ex-officer Richard Hammond, who was also in the group, were deemed inappropriate behavior by the tribunal’s panel. Commander Jon Savell, professional standards, said: “The actions of these three are inexcusable. “The entire Met is focused on rooting out anyone who exhibits this kind of behavior and lets the Met and the public we serve down.”
