Dorset Police officer sacked over offensive WhatsApp messages

Officers posted sexist, pornographic, misogynistic, homophobic and racist messages, the hearing was told

A police officer has been sacked and his former colleague barred from policing after their "toxic" group shared racist, sexist and bullying WhatsApp messages.

PC Mark Jordan-Gill and former PC Paul Perdrisat, who were based in Bournemouth, were found guilty of gross misconduct by a police tribunal.

The pair posted offensive material in a team chat group, prosecutors said.

Dorset Police said it would not tolerate hate behaviour in the force.

'Toxic' team

The WhatsApp group, for members of the Force Support Group, received posts that were sexual, pornographic, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, and bullying, the panel found.

Mr Perdrisat was a "major contributor" of the offensive material and also bullied colleagues, it said.

One former team member, named only as PC A, said he subsequently considered taking his own life.

He told the panel Mr Perdrisat was the "alpha male" in the "toxic" team.

The officer said: "I challenged PC Perdrisat and took him to one side. 'Why are you doing this?' And he said to me, 'By picking on the weakest link we get rid of them'."

"I didn't want to wake up in the morning. I thought about taking my own life."

Dorset Police said there was no place in the force for hate behaviour

PC Jordan-Gill posted inappropriate and offensive messages and failed to leave the WhatsApp group, the panel found.

He was dismissed without notice while Mr Perdrisat was told he would have been dismissed if he had not already resigned.

Both men were barred from being employed in policing.

Insp Nicholas Mantle, who was also found guilty of gross misconduct, will be sanctioned at a later date.

Two other serving officers admitted a lesser charge of misconduct. PC Michael Lowther was previously handed a written warning and PC Matthew Young was given a final written warning.

Following the hearing Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, said: "I am disappointed and appalled... that former officer Paul Perdrisat would have shared images of a racist, misogynistic, homophobic and offensive nature.

"Dorset Police is an organisation that respects equality, diversity and inclusion and expects this to be a critical value of all its staff.

"There is no place for any kind of hate behaviour within our force."