West Mercia Police officer admits sharing racist and homophobic memes

The officer will learn his punishment on Wednesday at a police misconduct hearing

A serving West Mercia Police officer has admitted sending and receiving racist, homophobic and sexual images.

The unidentified officer also shared indecent images of a female officer she sent him to view, a misconduct hearing by the force was told.

Hannah Hinton, representing the force, said all the messages together amounted to gross misconduct.

The hearing will continue on Wednesday when the officer will be be told of their punishment.

The messages came to light when the police officer, whose identity is legally protected, was investigated over a harassment matter over which no further action was taken, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Nine photographs were of the female officer, with "no expectation that he would send them onwards to others", Mrs Hinton said.

"Wholly inappropriate"

The images and memes, which included content of child abuse and Nazi regalia, were sent and received on his personal and work mobile phones in 2019-21, the hearing was told.

"This was not one-off behaviour, it was consistent," Mrs Hinton said.

"This content is wholly inappropriate for an officer to have."

Part of the allegation related to a conversation with another West Mercia employee known as Officer X - who also faces a misconduct hearing.

The pair exchanged messages via social media between March and October 2021 which were described as being of a racist and homophobic nature along with derogatory comments about colleagues.

The officer also faces an allegation of failing to challenge another officer in relation to the messages, which Mrs Hinton said would have led to the officer having to report himself.

Det Insp Lesley Williams, representing the accused officer, said he accepted sending and receiving the messages and memes, but did not create them, they were widely circulated online and he did not intend to cause offence.

He also denied being racist, homophobic or supporting the Nazis or far-right, she said.

The officer faces either a written warning, reduction in rank or dismissal from the police force at the hearing on Wednesday.