Police officer accused of sending racist textual content to colleagues used work telephone to contact prostitutes

A police officer contacted prostitutes, breached Covid-19 laws by visiting a beautician for a wax remedy and despatched a racist WhatsApp message a few rugby participant being raped, a disciplinary listening to heard.

Computer Christian Fereday, 44, even drove a police automotive to a few of his appointments, with two of the six waxing classes happening in the course of the lockdowns of November 2020 and March 2021.

He additionally breached the Covid-19 laws in January and February 2021 for additional waxes whereas off obligation.

The Gloucestershire Police officer additionally used his work telephone to contact intercourse staff by way of two web sites.

The grossly offensive message a few well-known South Africa rugby participant shocked these receiving it, together with a detective constable.

In the course of the dialog within the ‘Curry Boys’ group, Computer Fereday wrote: ‘Ship him again to South Africa to be raped by the blacks.’

A disciplinary listening to was informed Computer Fereday, who joined the police in 2003 however had since stop, accepted a lot of the case towards him, however not that it amounted to misconduct or gross misconduct.

Stephen Morley, presenting the case for the Applicable Authority, mentioned Computer Fereday was accused of seven allegations which resulted from an investigation launched in February 2021 after considerations had been raised about the usage of his police cell phone.

He had despatched ‘flirtatious and inappropriate’ messages to a lady who he had met by means of his job, asking her to ship him pictures of herself.

‘Computer Fereday admits sending and receiving messages from her and that it was “flirtatious and unprofessional” and he says he was “flattered by the eye”,’ Mr Morley mentioned.

Inquiries discovered the officer had used his cell phone on obligation to entry the Vivastreet and Adultwork web sites to contact intercourse staff within the Gloucester and south west of England areas, for bare massages and ‘bare massages with a contented ending’.

‘Computer Fereday says he didn’t intend to do something, and we are saying it doesn’t matter as a result of he was on obligation and he was wanting,’ Mr Morley mentioned.

‘He’s at work and ought to be working – not contacting intercourse staff.’

The listening to additionally heard that on 12 events between Might 2020 and March 2021 he accessed pornographic websites on his cell phone whereas on obligation.

Additional allegations got here to mild after the beautician was spoken to by investigators.

She confirmed the small print of the appointments and examination of knowledge from the police autos confirmed a number of the classes lasted between 21 and 37 minutes.

‘He admits going for waxing appointments whereas on obligation. He mentioned that private appointments whereas on obligation weren’t unusual amongst his colleagues. He accepts breaching the Covid-19 laws,’ Mr Morley mentioned.

‘He breached the requirements whereas on obligation and at work. He ought to be at work and never going for magnificence remedies.

‘Going to see a beautician whereas on or off obligation, breaching Covid-19 laws, would carry the power into disrepute.’

It was additional alleged Computer Fereday had used his private cell phone to ship greater than 200 emails to his work account about policing issues, which was a breach of knowledge laws.

The ultimate allegation mentioned he knowledgeable a member of the general public in October 2019 that somebody they knew had been arrested and was in custody.

The officer was going through being charged with breaching the Information Safety Act however acquired a warning for the offence.

Mr Morley mentioned that, taken collectively, the allegations collectively amounted to gross misconduct.

‘The aim of those proceedings is public confidence and reassuring the general public in relation to how Gloucestershire Police manages issues similar to this,’ he mentioned.

Computer Fereday didn’t attend the listening to and was not represented.

Chief Constable Rod Hansen discovered the allegations confirmed and the breaches amounted to gross misconduct.

Had Computer Fereday nonetheless been a serving member of the police, he would have been dismissed and he’ll go on the barred checklist.

Deputy Chief Constable Shaun West mentioned: ‘Our excessive and exacting skilled requirements, values and ethics are the steel from which each and every police officer on this county is solid.

‘The behaviours of Christian Fereday fell properly beneath that commonplace.

‘We police by consent and events like this tarnish our legitimacy and detract from the service and contributions made by so many within the constabulary.

‘That’s why we’ve made a dedication to root out all people who undermine our service. Motion is being taken, and as we progress with this, extra misconduct hearings will observe.

‘I hope the end result of this case, in addition to the quick intervention and thorough investigation by our skilled requirements division, demonstrates how critically these issues are taken.’