Police officer reinstated after using racial slur
Jack Thrumble used it in a WhatsApp conversation while working as volunteer special constable for Dorset Police in February 2021.
He later joined Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and was sacked by that force after the content of his messages was revealed and found to be discriminatory.
But he appealed and he was given back his job as a police constable in April after the Police Appeals Tribunal downgraded a previous gross misconduct finding to misconduct.Documents show that in a WhatsApp conversation with two other special constables, PC Thrumble shared a picture of a black woman who had liked his profile on the Tinder dating app.
He said she was "too black for me" and added: "If I wanted some hot chocolate in my life I would go to Costa," according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation.
The three-person tribunal that reinstated PC Thrumble included Cdr Katie Lilburn, the head of the Metropolitan Police's professional standards department.
It said the previous panel last year was "entitled to conclude" that PC Thrumble's language was discriminatory and reference to the woman's colour "amounted to her being treated unfairly owing to the membership of her ethnic group".
But it said it was not serious enough to warrant a finding of gross misconduct and that it was rather "a lapse of judgement by a young special constable".
It said positive references from other police officers showed that "this behaviour does not and will not be found in his dealings with colleagues or members of the public in the future".
PC Thrumble, the tribunal was told, "still remains absolutely devastated" by his behaviour and "feels sick to the core" about it.
The tribunal ordered that he be paid retrospectively by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary from when he was sacked until his reinstatement.
It added that "if a member of the public, of any gender or ethnicity, were to know the full facts of this case, which include how [PC Thrumble] has consistently dealt with public-facing duties through his career, they would not be put off speaking to or having their matter dealt with by [him]".
When he was sacked, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary's Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya said the "use of discriminatory language is utterly at odds with the values the public are rightly entitled to expect from police".
The force said it stood by Ms de Reya's comment, which it said was why the officer faced disciplinary action.
In a statement, it added: "The PAT [Police Appeals Tribunal] ruled misconduct and determined the sanction."
You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Police officer fired over racist texts wins appeal
PC sacked after discriminatory messages surface
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
Dorset Police
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
9 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
Tell Us About Confronting Your Cheating Ex
Finding out your partner is cheating on you is absolutely devastating, no matter how long you've been together or how you discovered their infidelity. No one can really predict how they'll act in a situation like that. Unfortunately, it takes being thrown to the wolves to learn your preferred style of confrontation. Maybe you searched your partner's phone on a whim after months of feeling uneasy and like you two were growing apart. You found a text thread with their coworker and quickly realized they were having an affair. You texted yourself screenshots, printed them out, and taped them all over your house before they got home from work one night. The look on their face was priceless. Perhaps you got an infamous "hey girlie" DM from a woman who'd been dating your husband for months. She didn't know you existed until your husband got a little sloppy keeping his stories straight, then she did some sleuthing and found you on Facebook. She texted him to meet her for drinks one night, and when he walked in, the two of you were sitting at the bar together. Or, maybe your friend sent you a screenshot of your partner on Tinder. You didn't have the energy to have a conversation with them and hear their excuses, so you simply texted them the screenshot with the message, "Hope you get lots of matches!" and blocked them on everything. How did you confront your cheating ex? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form for a chance to be featured in a BuzzFeed Community post.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Celebrate exam results 'responsibly', police urge
A police force has encouraged Dorset students receiving their exam results to "celebrate their successes responsibly". Across the county young people are due to receive their A-Level results, with GCSE results being released next week, on 21 August. Ch Supt Julie Howe, from Dorset Police, said results days were some of the busiest for the police over the summer period. The force asked people to ensure "celebratory behaviour doesn't descend into anti-social behaviour". People are also being asked to think of others such as neighbours, the elderly and young children. They are also advised to be aware of their limits at parties, plan journeys home in advance, and ensure phones have enough battery to make calls and send messages. "We know that results day is a culmination of several years of hard work and dedication to achieving the best outcomes for the young people of our county and they deserve to celebrate their successes," said Ch Supt Howe. "However, previous years have shown that the A-level and GCSE results days are some of the busiest days of the summer for policing demand. "Therefore, we ask for our young people to please enjoy themselves and their achievements responsibly without the need for police to intervene." Dorset Police previously announced a summer campaign to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, saying the school holidays were the "busiest time of year". It said officers would use dispersal powers to direct people away from town centres and beachfronts if they acted in an anti-social manner. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. More on this story A-level results day 2025 and grade boundaries explained Police force prepares for 'busiest time of the year' Police tackle anti-social behaviour for 'safe summer' Related Links Dorset Police
Engadget
2 days ago
- Engadget
Match Group will pay $14 million to settle claims of deceptive business practices
The Federal Trade Commission announced that Match Group will pay $14 million to settle a complaint about deceptive practices. The settlement fee will be used to provide redress to injured customers of Match Group's dating services, which include Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and PlentyOfFish. The agency sued Match Group in 2019 on a series of allegations. According to the complaint, the dating service company had used misleading ads to encourage subscriptions and then made it difficult for customers to cancel those subscriptions. Match Group was also accused of locking customers out of their accounts when they attempted to dispute billing charges. In addition to the payment, Match Group has agreed to clearly and conspicuously disclose the terms of its "six-month guarantee," as well as any conditions or limitations to those offers. It will also offer simple mechanisms for customers to cancel their subscriptions. Finally, Match Group will not retaliate or take action against customers who file billing disputes, and it won't deny those customers access to paid-for services or goods. Match Group also drew scrutiny earlier this year after an investigation claimed that it had failed to act on reports of sexual assault and made little effort to keep abusive or dangerous users from rejoining other dating platforms it owns.
