A British police officer has been fired for exchanging homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, racist messages with a fellow officer. During the misconduct hearing, the officer claimed that he had done so because he was “trying to fit in.”
According to the BBC, former Merseyside officer PC Gareth Horton was brought to a misconduct hearing over WhatsApp messages discovered during the investigation of another officer. Dyfed-Powys Police, where he has been serving as an officer since leaving Merseyside, oversaw the tribunal.
During his time with Merseyside, between March and July 2023, he and the other officer exchanged several messages containing “homophobic and violent overtones.” The first such message sent to Horton was a transphobic ad, to which he responded with “crying laughing emojis.”
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After subsequent messages that Horton didn’t challenge, he got involved in a homophobic exchange insulting gay TV presenter Phillip Schofield. These were followed up with several more messages attacking groups protected under the UK’s Equality Act.
Horton explained the messages by saying that because he was new to Merseyside, he was “still trying to fit in and make friends.” He agreed that he had breached professional standards to the point of gross misconduct. “This really does not represent my true character,” he said. “It’s ignorance and stupidity on my behalf. I’m honestly so remorseful.”
Susan Ferrier, the barrister representing Horton, argued that his admission of responsibility should merit leniency. “This is a young man who has behaved in a bad way, and he knows that, but he has done every single thing within his power to put this right,” Ferrier said.
“A final written warning would be the entirely appropriate approach to take,” she concluded.
Katherine Hampshire, the barrister representing the police, said that the public would be “rightly horrified” if they learned about the messages. On these grounds, she argued, Horton could no longer maintain a position of public trust.
“You behaved in a manner that would discredit the police service and undermine public confidence,” Hampshire said. “Given the seriousness, the only outcome would be one of dismissal.”
Ultimately, the hearing’s chairman, Ian Arundale, sided with Hampshire. He found Horton’s messages to be on the “higher end of the scale” of serious misconduct and that they showcased a “pattern of behavior” in aggression towards protected groups.
Horton was dismissed and has been permanently banned from policing in the UK.
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