“Was this dark humour or outright racism?”
Five police officers were sacked over a WhatsApp group featuring “routine misogyny” and “casual racism”, including a joke that an Asian detainee looked like a drawing of a terrorist.
The West Yorkshire officers were found guilty of gross misconduct over “derogatory, offensive and discriminatory” messages posted in the group.
They also shared photographs of “death scenes”, car crashes, missing people and detainees.
A misconduct hearing was told the WhatsApp group was characterised by “mean-spirited and bullying remarks about colleagues and members of the public”.
On December 20, 2024, the disciplinary panel dismissed serving officers Sergeant Mark Otter, PC Dominique Hawkins, PC Javaid Habeeb, PC Luke Riddett, and an officer referred to only as PC X.
It was ruled that three former constables – Tom Harrison, Matthew Harrison and Lee Hillyard – would also have been sacked had they not already resigned.
All eight had denied gross misconduct between July 2020 and September 2021.
Olivia Checa-Dover gave the panel a series of examples from the WhatsApp group.
She said that, when discussing a member of the public referred to as Miss A, PC X posted:
“Miss A on a bridge… jump, jump, jump.”
PC Habeeb also joked about a colleague taking his own life.
PC Riddett had posted a photo of an Asian detainee with a beard captioned “if you had to draw a terrorist”, to which PC Tom Harrison replied “racist”.
When PC Riddett said “no, it’s regional”, PC Tom Harrison posted two laughing face emojis.
The barrister said to the panel: “Was this dark humour or outright racism?”
She told the panel that, in one conversation about going to a strip club, PC Tom Harrison mentioned a female officer, saying: “You gonna strip too?”
Ms Checa-Dover said messages were exchanged about photographs posted of an officer, referred to as PC A, and his sister.
She said: “The group variously joked that PC A could not be blamed for ‘his genetics’ and PC Hillyard changed the group icon to a picture of PC A and his sister, and forwarded a mock-up of The Hills Have Eyes to include images of the two.”
Ms Checa-Dover said to the panel: “Was this a safe place for colleagues to seek support from their peers and provide support, or was it a platform used to communicate mean-spirited, bullying remarks about colleagues deemed not part of the group?”
She said that, in a conversation complaining about a “vulnerability appointment” with a member of the public, PC Riddett said “probably asking for it anyway”, which the barrister said was “an inappropriate, victim-blaming comment”.
Ms Checa-Dover said that, in a conversation about “naked Uno”, Sergeant Otter referred to “bubbles, showing off her rack”.
The same officer also expressed his regret at having missed the opportunity to “Eiffel Tower” one officer.
PC Riddett had joked: “It’s not harassment if they say yes. Remember lads, 50 nos and one yes is still a yes.”
Ms Checa-Dover said the officers did not deny their involvement in the WhatsApp group but argued that “what went on was an expression of dark humour, a vehicle through which they would process traumatic experiences, a forum in which to express themselves freely, seek support from their colleagues and provide support to others.”
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