A police officer guarding the Sarah Everard murder scene allegedly sent colleagues inappropriate WhatsApp messages about her killing.
The probationary Met constable, who had been deployed as a cordon officer supporting the search operation in Kent, is said to have shared a meme showing images of a uniformed officer abducting a woman. Horrified fellow officers reported the rookie officer’s actions because they were concerned by its content. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards was made aware on Friday.
The latest incident adds to the pressure faced by Met Commissioner Cressida Dick as she battles calls to resign over her force’s ‘heavy handed’ crackdown on a vigil for Ms Everard on Clapham Common on Saturday and the investigation into murder suspect Wayne Couzens.
Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police officer was charged with Ms Everard’s murder and kidnap after she disappeared as she walked home to Brixton from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on March 3. The incident has now been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the officer has been removed from frontline duties.
He is believed to have been placed in a non-public facing role while enquiries continue.
