West Yorkshire PC dismissed over racist and misogynistic messages

PC Louis Hepplestone was dismissed following a misconduct hearing by West Yorkshire Police

An officer has been sacked for being involved in a WhatsApp conversation where racist and misogynistic messages were shared, a police watchdog said.

PC Louis Hepplestone from West Yorkshire Police was dismissed by the force for gross misconduct.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Hepplestone had betrayed "the values he should have been upholding as a police officer".

At a hearing, he admitted sending and responding to offensive messages.

Hepplestone also admitted failing to report the messages he received, West Yorkshire Police said.

The IOPC said the investigation looked at messages sent and received by Hepplestone, who was based in Kirklees.

"We received a referral from the force after a separate directed IOPC investigation found evidence of concerning phone messages between Hepplestone and a colleague," the IOPC said.

"As part of the separate investigation, messages were obtained from the phone of Detention Officer William Loyd-Hughes."

Loyd-Hughes was sentenced earlier this year over offensive social media posts, including racist material and an image of armed men in balaclavas posing with flags of the Ulster Defence Association, a banned Northern Irish paramilitary group.

William Loyd-Hughes shared images of flags from a banned Northern Irish paramilitary group

The IOPC said the messages began before both officers had joined the force.

Emily Barry from the IOPC said Hepplestone would be barred from working in policing in the future.

"PC Hepplestone was part of a conversation in which vile and offensive messages were sent," she said.

"His failure to challenge blatantly racist views or a joke about rape were a complete betrayal of the values he should have been upholding as a police officer.

"Behaviour like this undermines the efforts of the vast majority of officers, who work incredibly hard in challenging circumstances to keep us safe.

"That is why it is so important for colleagues to challenge and report such views where they come across them."

Speaking after the hearing, Det Ch Supt Nicola Bryar, of West Yorkshire Police's Professional Standards Directorate, said: "There is no place in policing for the abhorrent attitudes displayed in the messages that came to light as part of this investigation.

"In failing to challenge racist and misogynistic language, the officer has brought discredit to the standards expected of him."