The pinnacle of the Met’s Black Police Affiliation (MBPA) has been discovered to have dedicated gross misconduct over a bunch chat the place racist, sexist and inappropriate messages have been despatched and acquired.
Insp Charles Ehikioya was in a WhatsApp chat with former officer Carlo Francisco the place offensive messages despatched and acquired.
The officer had denied the allegations in opposition to him and mentioned the claims have been fabricated or falsely attributed to him due to his race or place as chair of the MBPA.
A panel discovered his conduct amounted to a breach of the requirements {of professional} behaviour and mentioned it was “so severe as to doubtlessly justify dismissal”.
The panel, led by Cdr Jason Prins, discovered Insp Ehikioya breached requirements in respect of equality and variety, discreditable conduct and difficult and reporting improper conduct confirmed at a listening to on Friday.
A call on whether or not he will likely be dismissed has not been made but.
In additional than 7,000 messages between 2017 and 2020, the officer was mentioned to have despatched and acquired jokes, photos and movies, it was heard beforehand.
He despatched a picture of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, with the remark “message from the opposite aspect, inform the Muslims there isn’t any 72 virgins left”, it was beforehand mentioned.
There was additionally a collection of “racist” messages about Chinese language individuals, the listening to was informed.
Jokes about intercourse with a woman with Down’s syndrome, and mockery of the late Duke of Edinburgh’s automotive crash, have been additionally within the chatlog, as was a video during which there was a baby with a unadorned backside, James Berry, representing the Met, mentioned beforehand.
On 1 April 2019, Insp Ehikioya informed Mr Francisco to “cease sending or receiving these foolish porns”, saying he might get into “bother”, the listening to was informed.
Cdr Prins mentioned the panel “discovered that Inspector Ehikioya has engaged in racist, sexist, misogynistic and in any other case inappropriate behaviour”.
He added: “The panel finds to a big extent that the messages converse for themselves.”
He additionally mentioned they discovered his defence of the allegations to be “fanciful” and “far-fetched”.
Commander Prins mentioned: “The panel discovered that the messages despatched by Inspector Ehikioya or acquired by him, which he did not problem or report, deeply harm public confidence within the police service.”
The listening to was adjourned till afterward Friday for the panel to think about its sanction.
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, 2025-01-10 15:20:00
