A Metropolitan Police officer, PC Rebecca King, faced serious allegations after sharing offensive messages about a lesbian colleague in a WhatsApp group chat. Her communications included derogatory comments and objectification. Despite the ongoing discussions about misconduct within the police, including high-profile cases like the murder of Sarah Everard, King and her colleague, PC Kevin Odongo, maintained their inappropriate behavior. They resigned before facing a disciplinary hearing, which highlighted severe breaches of professional standards. While King denied gross misconduct, Officer Dean Murphy accepted the messaging was misogynistic and violent, ultimately leading to his dismissal.
In the period the WhatsApp group was active, numerous high profile media stories came to light concerning inappropriate WhatsApp groups between police officers, yet, this did not change their behaviour.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor stated that the texts shared in the group were among the most abhorrent in nature, reflecting a serious breach of professional conduct.
King and Odongo denied gross misconduct but were ultimately found to have breached standards of professional behaviour regarding respect, authority, and reporting improper conduct.
Despite a significant incident like the murder of Sarah Everard by a police officer, the inappropriate messaging within the group continued unabated.
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