The Metropolitan Police has dismissed an officer for gross misconduct after he sent extreme sexual messages and a photo of his penis to a 16-year-old boy, yet the force has declined to name him.
Officer caught through National Crime Agency investigation
The officer, referred to only as 'Officer X' in the misconduct hearing, communicated with the teenager on the messaging app Kik in April last year. During the exchange, Officer X sent an explicit image of his penis and discussed an extreme sex act with the child. The boy also sent an explicit image of himself to the officer.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) became involved after Kik flagged the victim as “at risk of online child exploitation for sending and receiving sexualised images”. The NCA accessed the officer's messages, which included plans to meet the boy at a hotel.
Misconduct hearing and dismissal
Former police commander Katie Lilburn chaired the misconduct hearing and found that the officer had committed gross misconduct. She stated: “The sanction I impose is dismissal without notice and that Officer X be placed on the College of Policing’s public barred list.”
The Met Police confirmed to MyLondon that the officer could not be named due to a decision by the hearing chair, but did not reveal the specific reason. A spokesperson explained that the chair may consider factors such as “protecting the officer's private and family life, welfare and medical considerations, safety and wellbeing of the officer or any other person, the interests of justice and whether disclosure would undermine the fairness or proper conduct of the proceedings”.
Impact and next steps
The officer's placement on the College of Policing’s public barred list prevents him from working in policing in the future. The Met Police has not provided further details on the rationale for withholding the officer's name, leaving questions about transparency in such cases.
