Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City, U.S., on 6 January December 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Purchase license rights
LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Five former London police officers admitted on Thursday to sending extremely offensive racist messages to each other on WhatsApp, which included references to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and other members of the royal family.
The five officers, all of whom are retired, were charged following an investigation by the BBC’s Newsnight program which found the men had sent the messages between August 2018 and September 2022, the period by which they had all left the police.
Three of the messages included racist comments about Meghan, the wife of King Charles’ youngest son, Prince Harry. Meghan’s mother is black and her father is white.
One of these messages also included a photo of the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, while others referenced Charles’ eldest son and heir Prince William and his wife Kate, along with Rishi Sunak, the first Colored Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The former officers, in their 60s, pleaded guilty to sending offensive messages at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London.
“The racist and discriminatory content of these messages is absolutely egregious and since the defendants once served as police officers, we recognize that this case may further damage trust in the police,” said Commander James Harman, who He heads the Anti-Corruption and Prevention of Corruption Department of the Metropolitan Police. Abuse command.
The London force has been plagued by scandals in recent years and a independent review in March it concluded that it was institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. His new boss, Mark Rowley, has vowed to get rid of the wrong people among his more than 43,000 officers and staff.
The five men had worked in various police departments, but all had served with the Diplomatic Protection Group, which in the past year has seen one former member convicted of murder and rape, and another jailed for carrying out 24 rapes and other sexual crimes. more than two decades.
Reporting by Michael Holden and Sam Tobin; Editing by Nick Macfie
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