Six former London police officers were sentenced on Thursday for sharing offensive and racist messages on WhatsApp alluding to Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and other royal family members.
In a statement after the sentencing hearing, James Harman, who led the Anti-Corruption Command and the Abuse of the Metropolitan Police, said, "the racist and discriminatory content of these messages is truly dire."
"Given that the defendants had served as police, we are aware that this case could further undermine trust in the police," Harman said.
The six officers, all of whom have retired, were indicted after an investigation into the BBC's Newsnight program found the men sent messages between August 2018 and September 2022, a period when they all left the police.
Three of the messages featured racist comments about Meghan, the wife of King Charles' youngest son, Prince Harry.
One of these messages also includes photos of the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, while other messages refer to the eldest son and heir to King Charles, Prince William and his wife Kate, and Rishi Sunak, Britain's first color prime minister.
Five of the six former officers, aged 60, pleaded guilty to sending offensive messages in September. On Thursday all were sentenced to between six and 14 weeks in prison, with 12 months probation.
The five men had worked in various departments in the police, but all of them had served in the Diplomatic Protection Group.
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Meanwhile, Michael Chadwell, 62, pleaded not guilty to one charge of sending an offensive message, but he was found guilty after being tried at the London City Court of Magistrat last month. Chadwell was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison, with a 12-month trial.
London Metropolitan Police, Britain's biggest force, has been hit by various scandals in recent years.
The Commissioner of The Met Sir Mark Peter Rowley QPM, who took office last year, has pledged to get rid of people who are not suitable among his more than 43,000 officers and staff.
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