Met Police officers sacked for gross misconduct after sharing ‘toxic’ messages mocking Katie Price’s son Harvey
TWO Met Police officers have been sacked for sending “discriminatory and offensive” messages about Katie Price’s son Harvey.
The disgraced officers shared sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and disablist comments in a WhatsApp group called “Secret Squirrel S**t”.
They referred to disabled people as “m**gs” and made derogatory comments about travellers and people of East Asian heritage.
The officers also regularly targeted Katie’s son Harvey, 20, who suffers from Prader-Willi syndrome and autism.
Two serving cops have been dismissed without further notice after they were found guilty of gross misconduct yesterday.
Officer B, who can’t be named for legal reasons, and PC Glynn Rees, have now been placed on the barred list preventing them for life from serving in any police force within the UK.
Former sergeant Luke Thomas and ex-acting sergeant Luke Allen were among the ex Met Police officers who also faced the misconduct panel.
Ex-police constables Kelsey Buchan, Carlo Francisco, Lee South and Darren Jenner were also involved in the vile group.
The panel said those six former cops would have been dismissed without notice had they still been serving.
Legal chairman Christopher McKay said each former and serving officer committed gross misconduct over their own messages.
The group – attached to the southeast Command based at Bexleyheath Police Station – also failed to “challenge or report” the conduct of others in the group.
The five-day hearing was told Thomas racially insulted a black police sergeant and joked about calling his dog Auschwitz or Adolf.
He also suggested naming the animal Fred or Ian after “my two favourite child sex killers”.
In another conversation, Thomas also insulted a junior female officer and branded her “f***ing ugly”.
The group regularly referred to women as “silly s**gs” and “s***k rags” and shared offensive videos of disabled people.
One male officer was even branded a “legend in my eyes” after he “once got away with rape”.
The sick group, which was used between 2016 and 2018, was finally exposed in March 2021.
Daniel Hobbs, representing the police, told the hearing the officers fostered a “toxic, abhorrent culture”.
He added: “They thought the Secret Squirrel S**t WhatsApp group was theirs and theirs alone, and would go no further. They put that forward by way of mitigation; that approach holds no water.
“The constant use of profanities was stock and trade of the officers. This was a police team that lacked any effective leadership.”
PC Rees and Officer B, who are the only defendants still serving in the Met, are now facing the sack from the force.
Katie previously slammed the “disgusting” cops for aiming their abuse at Harvey.
She said: “They need to be punished, they were big enough to make all these comments and now they have to deal with the consequences,”
The ex-glamour model continued: “First of all, hopefully, they are going to prison for it and be punished.
“If they don’t I want them to meet Harvey even though Harvey does not deserve that.
“This is not a money-making thing I just want an example done – these are police officers there to protect us.
“If they are doing it and getting away with it the system is corrupt. They are disgusting human beings!”
The verdicts come after the Met Police was plunged into special measures following a string of scandals.
Trust was shattered in the Met following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens.
A damning report by Baroness Casey last month branded the force institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic and in need of radical reform.
It came after it emerged the Met had nine opportunities to stop a serial rapist in their midst.
David Carrick tortured and abused 12 victims in a 17-year reign of terror by controlling what they ate and who they spoke to.
But the force were forced to apologise for not taking an earlier opportunity to catch Carrick, who had been accused of rape and domestic violence while serving with the Met.
Commander Jon Savell, Professionalism, said: “I was repulsed and ashamed to read the deeply offensive messages sent by these officers and I utterly condemn their behaviour.
“I am deeply sorry to those who have been the subject of such awful disgusting messages.
“The Commissioner has been very clear about our commitment to finding and getting rid of anyone in the Met who has these highly offensive attitudes and today’s result is an example of that.
“I have over 600 colleagues in our professional standards directorate – a team we have significantly grown – whose absolute focus is on this critically important piece of work. We are under no illusion that public trust and confidence in us depends on us re-establishing our integrity and professionalism.
“This is another painful day for us. We know there are more uncomfortable days to come as we turn over the stones and uncover others who corrupt our integrity.”
