Ex-detective 'would have been sacked' over 'racist' text

The two officers involved no longer work for Avon and Somerset Police

A retired Bristol detective, who acted as a family liaison officer in the case of murdered Bijan Ebrahimi, would have been sacked for gross misconduct for sending a "racist" text about two Black colleagues, a misconduct panel has ruled.

Former Detective Constable Simon Jones sent a WhatsApp message to Detective Constable Robert Corry about the pair who were late to a briefing, saying: “If that was you and me, we would get the sack.”

A misconduct panel concluded the text suggested an "element of prejudice towards the two officers based in part at least on their ethnicity".

Following a two-day hearing, the panel decided on 5 April that ex-Det Con Jones would have been dismissed without notice, had he still been serving with the police force. Instead he will be placed on a barring list preventing him from working for the police or other law enforcement agencies.

Legally Qualified Chair Callum Cowx said: “The panel found that this could only be interpreted as a racist remark but could not go so far as to find that this was an inherently racist officer, based on the paucity of the evidence.”

One of Mr Jone's roles during nearly 26 years with the force was serving as a liaison officer for the family of Mr Ebrahimi. He was an Iranian refugee from Bristol with special needs, who was beaten to death and set alight in the street by his neighbour in 2013.

An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission concluded the city's police systematically discriminated against him and showed "all the hallmarks of racial bias".

The role Mr Jones played in supporting Mr Ebrahimi's family was highlighted in mitigation by his Police Federation representative Sgt Tony Henley after the misconduct panel found gross misconduct proven against the former detective.

He said Mr Jones had an unblemished police career and had not intended to cause any harm in his messages, which were made in private, on a personal device while off duty in April 2020.

Sgt Henley said: "These texts could well be described as a single lapse of judgement.

"Mr Jones wholeheartedly states that he is not a racist and wholeheartedly disagrees with the finding that he made any racist comments and that the finding is not at all congruent with the evidence presented."

But the panel agreed with barrister Mark Ley-Morgan, acting on behalf of the force, that the only possible outcome was dismissal had Mr Jones still been a serving officer.

Former Det Con Corry, who resigned before the hearing, was also found to have committed misconduct for failing to challenge Jones.

Assistant Chief Constable Will White said afterwards: "The impact on the two officers who were at the centre of the messages has been significant.

"This has had a profound and lasting impact on them.

"Racism has no place in our service.

"I hope that today’s outcome shows them that the wider organisation is committed to driving out racism and bad culture and will not tolerate behaviour of this kind.

"It’s a clear signal to everyone who works for Avon & Somerset Police that racist views, comments or behaviour go against everything we stand for, and expressing these views in any forum is wholly unacceptable, damaging and will not be tolerated.

"It also shows the importance of being an upstander, and challenging these unacceptable behaviours when they are seen or heard."

Neither officer attended the hearing and both men had denied the allegations.