15 August 2023 , 13:18
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Six former police officers have been charged with sending offensive racist messages on Whatsapp, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The officers, who retired between 2001 and 2015, are all set to appear at magistrates court in September after receiving the charges by post. They have come following an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards which was launched after coverage by the BBC’s Newsnight programme in October last year.
A first arrest was made within hours of the allegations being passed to the Met by the BBC and enquiries have continued since.As a result of the investigation, it was established that from August 2018 until September 2022, inappropriate communications were share within a closed WhatsApp group, the Met said.
The six men charged were not serving at any point during their participation in the group, but served in various parts of the Met throughout their careers but all spent time in the Diplomatic Protection Group, now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
Commander James Harman, who leads the Met’s Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said: “As soon as we were made aware of these allegations we acted to launch an investigation. I am pleased that following the determined work of officers we have been able to secure these charges. We are working relentlessly to rebuild the trust of the public which has understandably been dented by a number of high profile incidents and investigations in recent years which have involved officers or former officers.
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“The honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work. They are tired of being let down by a minority in policing and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve. I recognise announcements about the outcome of our investigations may have the potential to cause further public concern, but I hope it demonstrates our absolute commitment to investigate any corrupt and abusive behaviour from the Met.
“I hope the public will recognise that we are determined to take the necessary measures to investigate any wrongdoing wherever we find it.”
Those charged are:
Peter Booth, 66, of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire - four counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in April 2001.
Robert Lewis, 62, of Camberley, Surrey - eight counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in May 2015.
Anthony Elsom, 67, of Bournemouth, Dorset - three counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in May 2012.
Alan Hall, 65, of Stowmarket, Suffolk - three counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in June 2015.
Michael Chadwell, 62, of Liss, Hampshire - one count of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in November 2015.
Trevor Lewton, 65, of Swansea - one count of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in August 2009.