Metropolitan Police officer who held up racist signs next to sleeping train passengers ‘should be sacked’, disciplinary panel rules

Ian Wells' actions 'extremely damaging' to force's reputation, panel told

Berny Torre
Wednesday 21 August 2019 23:16 BST
Comments
Ian Wells actions were 'indicative of his character', disciplinary panel says.
Ian Wells actions were 'indicative of his character', disciplinary panel says.

A police officer who posed next to sleeping train passengers holding up racist signs should be sacked, a disciplinary panel has ruled.

Ian Wells, who also worked as a celebrity bodyguard, also sent racist and sexist text messages, and twice shared sensitive police information with his private security boss.

The 44-year-old father of three, who served as a police constable for 21 years with the Metropolitan Police in London, is set to lose his job after he was found guilty of “serious gross misconduct”.

Police disciplinary panel chair Leslie Cuthbert said he and his wife Emma Wells lied during the three-day professional standards hearing in west London.

The panel that Mr Wells had posed next to sleeping train passengers while holding up racist messages while commuting with security colleagues.

Mr Wells, who was a bodyguard for celebrities including Katie Price and singer Katherine Jenkins, held a sign next to a sleeping black man which said: “I’m a prince in my own country”.

He held another next to a sleeping Asian man saying: “I forgot deodorant today.”

When the black man woke up and challenged him, Mr Wells’ former private security work boss Daniel O’Leary and colleague, fire station manager Phil Pidgeon, said Wells held up his police warrant card.

The pair also claimed that he used his mobile phone to trick passengers to sign into his wifi and send them pornographic images

His actions were “extremely damaging” for the Met’s reputation, the panel was told.

Recommending “dismissal without notice”, Mr Cuthbert said: “The panel considers that each allegation individually and all of the allegations collectively amount to gross misconduct. In relation to culpability the panel found that PC Wells was wholly responsible for his conduct. The text messages and behaviour on the train demonstrated a degree of discrimination based on a person’s race or sex.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

“The panel concluded PC Wells’s decision to show his warrant card ... was further evidence of him abusing his position as was accessing the police computer database for his own purposes. The panel’s conclusion is that the gross misconduct is serious. PC Wells has shown little insight or remorse in his actions up to this hearing.

“This hearing and the publicity that has accompanied it are the fault of Mr Wells and no one else.”

He added: “These allegations have shown what PC Wells engages in when he’s alone or with people who share his views and as a result are indicative of his character. Furthermore dismissal without notice is appropriate in order to uphold high standards in policing and to deter any actions in the future.”

SWNS

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in