Head of Met's Black Police Association dismissed for gross misconduct over racist, sexist chat
Inspector Charles Ehikioya had previously said the claims were fabricated or falsely attributed to him because of his race or position at the MBPA
Last updated 10th Jan 2025
The head of the Metropolitan Black Police Association (MBPA) has been dismissed without notice for gross misconduct over a chat with a former officer in which racist, sexist and inappropriate messages were sent and received.
Inspector Charles Ehikioya, who was the full-time chairman of the MBPA, was dismissed without notice at the end of a misconduct hearing at Palestra House in London on Friday, with the panel, led by Commander Jason Prins, saying it was an "appropriate and proportionate sanction".
The hearing was told Inpsector Ehikioya was in a WhatsApp chat with former officer Carlo Francisco, in which the messages were sent and received, a misconduct hearing at Palestra House in London found on Friday.
He also failed to report them, the panel found.
In more than 7,000 messages between 2017 and 2020, the officer was said to have sent and received jokes, pictures and videos, it was heard previously.
Inspector Ehikioya said the claims were fabricated or falsely attributed to him because of his race or position at the MBPA, the misconduct hearing previously heard.
Jokes about sex with a girl with Down's syndrome, and mockery of the late Duke of Edinburgh's car crash, were also in the chatlog, as was a video in which there was a child with a naked bottom, James Berry, representing the Met, said previously.
There was also a series of "racist" messages about Chinese people, the hearing was told.
On April 1 2019, Inspector Ehikioya told Mr Francisco to "stop sending or receiving these silly porns", saying he could get into "trouble", the hearing was previously told.
He was found to have committed gross misconduct by a panel, led by Commander Jason Prins, after they found allegations that his conduct amounted to a breach of the standards of professional behaviour, in respect of equality and diversity, discreditable conduct and challenging and reporting improper conduct, proven at a hearing on Friday.
Commander Prins said the panel "found that Inspector Ehikioya has engaged in racist, sexist, misogynistic and otherwise inappropriate behaviour".
He added: "The panel finds to a large extent that the messages speak for themselves."
He also said they found his defence of the allegations to be "fanciful" and "far-fetched".
Commander Prins said: "The panel found that the messages sent by Inspector Ehikioya or received by him, which he failed to challenge or report, deeply damage public confidence in the police service."
He concluded by saying the panel found the actions amounted to gross misconduct and were "so serious as to potentially justify dismissal".