Six ex-Met Police officers charged with sending racist WhatsApp messages | UK News

The force announced the charges on Tuesday afternoon and they follow an investigation by the Met’s directorate of professional standards.

The investigation was launched following a BBC Newsnight investigation last October, and the six men, all in their 60s, have been charged with 20 offences between them.

The officers served in various parts of the force but all spent time in the Diplomatic Protection Group, now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.

They were not serving during their alleged participation in the group and they had all retired between 2001 and 2015.

A first arrest was made within hours of the BBC passing the allegations on, the Met says, and the investigation has continued since then.

It found ‘inappropriate communications’ were shared within a closed WhatsApp group between August 2018 and September 2022.

The BBC, which hasn’t reproduced the messages because of the racist language used, says some of the posts reference the government’s Rwanda policy.

Others joked about flooding in Pakistan, which left almost 1,700 people dead, while others featured pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alongside racist language.

Commander James Harman said: ‘As soon as we were made aware of these allegations we acted to launch an investigation.

‘I am pleased that following the determined work of officers we have been able to secure these charges.

‘We are working relentlessly to rebuild the trust of the public which has understandably been dented by a number of high profile incidents and investigations in recent years which have involved officers or former officers.

‘The honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work.

‘They are tired of being let down by a minority in policing and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve.

‘I recognise announcements about the outcome of our investigations may have the potential to cause further public concern, but I hope it demonstrates our absolute commitment to investigate any corrupt and abusive behaviour from the Met.

‘I hope the public will recognise that we are determined to take the necessary measures to investigate any wrongdoing wherever we find it.’

The six men, who have all been charged with sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages, are:

• Peter Booth, 66, of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire has been charged with four counts. He retired from the Met in April 2001.
• Robert Lewis, 62, of Camberley, Surrey has been charged with eight counts. He retired from the Met in May 2015.
• Anthony Elsom, 67, of Bournemouth, Dorset has been charged with three counts. He retired from the Met in May 2012.
• Alan Hall, 65, of Stowmarket, Suffolk has been charged with three counts. He retired from the Met in June 2015.
• Michael Chadwell, 62, of Liss, Hampshire has been charged with one count. He retired from the Met in November 2015.
• Trevor Lewton, 65, of Swansea has been charged with one count. He retired from the Met in August 2009.

All six men are set to appear at Westminster magistrates court on September 7.

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