Katie Price considers legal action after Met Police officers traded ‘horrific’ messages mocking her disabled son Harvey
- Price said she is considering legal action over ‘discrimination and defamation’
- Two Met Police officers were dismissed from the force on Friday last week
- Eight officers were in a chat with racist, ableist and homophobic content
Katie Price is considering taking legal action after two Metropolitan Police officers were dismissed from the force for trading ‘horrific’, ‘discriminatory and offensive’ messages about her disabled son Harvey.
The model, 44, has said she is ‘not going to let it drop’ and was considering her options of claims over discrimination and defamation.
Harvey, 20, has autism and is partially sighted, as well as having Prader-Willi syndrome which affects his physical and behavioural development.
The two serving officers and six former colleagues were found guilty of gross misconduct over racist, homophobic and sexist messages they shared between May 2016 and June 2018 in a WhatsApp group called ‘Secret Squirrel S**t’. Some of these related to Katie Price’s son.
PC Glynn Rees and PC Dave Selway were fired after a disciplinary hearing at Palestra House in Southwark, central London, on Friday following a six-day hearing.
Katie Price’s (right) son Harvey (left), 20, has autism and is partially sighted, as well as having Prader-Willi syndrome which affects his physical and behavioural development
Price is now considering taking legal action over ‘discrimination and defamation, the Times reports
Speaking to The Times, the model said that the sackings were ‘not really punishment’ for the officers involved.
She said: ‘I’m disappointed that others resigned. It’s a cheap way out.’
She continued: ‘Those officers mocked my son’s disability, race and size. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the public eye, no-one deserves that.
‘I’ve got five kids and they picked on him. Why? Because he’s different.’
She also questioned why photographs of the officers were not released by police to the public.
The news comes after Katie Price revealed she was ‘over the moon’ at the decision that the eight officers had been charged with misconduct over the warped WhatsApp group.
‘I hope they feel ashamed. I hope they’re embarrassed,’ the 44-year-old model told Channel 5 News’ Dan Walker before adding: ‘It’s about time justice has been done.’
When asked by Katie how it made him feel when people were horrible to him, Harvey said: ‘Angry and sad’.
Commander Jon Savell, the Met’s professionalism and standards chief, said: ‘I was repulsed and ashamed to read the deeply offensive messages sent by these officers and I utterly condemn their behaviour. I am deeply sorry to those who have been the subject of such awful disgusting messages.
‘This is another painful day for us. We know there are more uncomfortable days to come as we turn over the stones and uncover others who corrupt our integrity.’
Among those involved was the team’s leading officer, Police Sergeant Luke Allen, PS Luke Thomas and his team members; PC Kelsey Buchan, PC Carlo Francisco, PC Lee South and PC Darren Jenner, PC Rees and Selway.
Only PC Rees and PC Selway, who are still serving in the Met, attended the misconduct hearing.
Price said that while she has five children, the officers chose to ridicule Harvey because he is ‘different’
Katie Price pictured with her son Harvey as she speaks out about the gross misconduct charges facing eight Met Police officers
All eight officers were found by the panel to have carried out acts amounting to gross misconduct.
They have now been placed on the barred list preventing them for life from serving in any police force within the UK.
PC Selway and PC Rees have also both been dismissed without further notice.
The panel also determined the six former officers would also have been dismissed had they still been serving.
Five of the six resigned after the messages emerged. Francisco had already been dismissed from the force last July for an ‘unrelated matter’.
Price is currently campaigning to introduce ‘Harvey’s Law’, which would ensure internet trolls face consequences for their behaviour online.
What was said in shocking Met Police chat
The shocking contents of the WhatsApp chat were laid bare before the misconduct hearing.
Dan Hobbs, for the Met Police, said: ‘All eight of the officers concerned were members of that ‘Secret Squirrel S***’ group.
‘For around two years each of the officers concerned were attached to the southeast Command based at Bexleyheath Police Station.
‘This was a police team that lacked any effective leadership from PS Luke Thomas.
‘They used sexist, racist, homophobic and transphobic language and profanities.’
Racism
Mr Hobbs continued: ‘Luke Thomas made comments in relation to Harvey Price, the mixed-heritage disabled son of Katie Price.
‘He said: ‘For a c*** that can’t see, he can find his way to the fridge and biscuit jar without difficulty.
‘Without further comment it is self-explanatory how this is discriminatory.
‘He posts various pictures of Harvey Price into the WhatsApp group including the caption ‘hello you c***’ as the officer’s attempt at humour.
‘Why he doesn’t accept this as gross misconduct is beyond the appropriate authority’s comprehension.
‘Luke Allan, the mixed-race officer in his team, was also referenced after the picture of Harvey Price was posted – a poor attempt of humour aimed at Luke, suggesting it was in fact Luke.
‘Both Luke and Harvey are mixed race; there is no other reason for their connection.’
‘He uses the term p***y. P***y is an offensive term use for the travelling community. It was an offensive term, he didn’t report it.’
Mr Hobbs went on to summarise various other racial slurs found in the chat including ‘generalisations about the murder of black people’ and references to slavery involving a black officer of the Met.
Ableism
Mr Hobbs also described how in the group disabled people had been referred to as ‘fat m***s, smelly m***s.’
He continued: ‘I understand the use of the word m**g is unpleasant and inappropriate.
‘It comes from the term mongoloid, it is a very outdated historical term for people with Downs syndrome.
‘Years ago there were areas of the medical profession who believed people with Downs Syndrome looked like Mongol people. It for many years has not been an accepted term.’
The comments continued: ‘WTF has that m**g c*** got in her hair, she’s too stupid to be alive.’
”A blind bloke got on my train, poor c***, I’d prefer to be in a m**g scooter for the rest of my life.
‘Got me thinking if he’s blind why don’t his family hide his cake tin and put salad in front of him every now and again.’
Mr Hobbs said: ‘They are consistently discriminatory against disabled people.’
Meanwhile, serving PC Rees described an image of Mr Price riding a child’s train as ‘genius’, which the panel found to be ‘obviously sarcastic’ and ‘making fun of him behaving in a childlike manner because of his disability’.
Sexism and homophobia
In another post Thomas talks of a senior female officer and claims: ‘I bet she gets so much c***’.
In another picture Thomas posts in front of a poster promoting acceptance of non-binary people.
‘The text information which appears immediately above is ‘gender free, we hope it removes barriers to gender non-binary recruits’.
Mr Hobbs continued: ‘Thomas’ accompanying message [reads]: ‘oh just f*** off. What is a non-binary. Not a boy or a girl, a c*** in other words.’
‘She’s non-binary and an utter c***.’
When a new female officer joined his team he joked: ‘Haha Idk who it is.
‘It is a female so the chances of her being a competent officer are reduced and the chances of her being total and utter grief is increased.’
In another post Thomas wrote: ‘Another male police officer says he did once get away with rape on a weekend away in Butlins, so a legend in my eyes.’
Mr Hobbs said: ‘It is irrelevant whether deep down he is a nice person, he is promoting sexist behaviour.
‘It is not something I need to explain is discriminatory. The comments are highly damaging to the service, should never ever have been said, or posted, and is gross misconduct in and of itself.
He referred to one woman as a ‘fat bird’.
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