Fourth Met cop sacked after he’s caught bragging about ‘whacking suspect with a baton’ at UK’s busiest police station

A FOURTH cop at Britain’s busiest police station has been sacked after his boasting about using excessive force was caught on camera.

PC Jason Sinclair-Birt is the latest to be fired from Charing Cross station after he was found to have committed gross misconduct.

His vile comments were aired on BBC Panorama just three weeks ago – exposing a dire “breach” of professionalism and “discreditable” conduct in the force.

An accelerated misconduct hearing on Friday was shown footage of PC Jason Sinclair-Birt tell a colleague he “whacked the s**t out of the back of his legs” as he spoke about one detainee.

James Berry KC told how the officer was exaggerating for “comedic effect”.

Chairman Commander Jason Prins concluded the breach of conduct amounted to gross misconduct.

PC Sinclair-Birt was dismissed without notice and will be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing to prevent him re-joining the police or being employed by other related bodies.

Commander Prins said: “The officer has chosen to share a false account which revelled in the use of excessive force.

“In my view the false account was meant to be taken at face value.”

A Met Police spokesperson confirmed: “A fourth officer whose disgraceful conduct at Charing Cross police station was featured on BBC Panorama has been dismissed from the Met.

“However, more misconduct hearings scheduled for today and next week are to be adjourned as the BBC only yesterday – after repeated requests – shared with the Independent Office for Police Conduct unaired footage in relation to the matters.”

On Tuesday, October 28, a hearing for Sergeant Clayton Robinson, attached to Met Detention, will take place.

Three other hearings due to be held on Tuesday will be adjourned to a later date.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he is “grateful” for the BBC’s Panorama documentary.

But he said the broadcaster’s “co-operation” with the force “has fallen short”.

The Commissioner said in a statement: “The IOPC and Met were in agreement the hearings could go ahead based on the evidence available, but the extremely late disclosure by the BBC of full untransmitted material has allowed adjournment applications.

“While adjournments are standard to ensure each hearing can fairly consider all the available evidence, it is extremely frustrating to be in this position.

“The public rightly had an expectation that misconduct proceedings for these officers would be concluded as swiftly as possible and we made that commitment, working with the IOPC to schedule hearings less than a month after the broadcast.

“The actions of the BBC, which should be acting in the public interest, have added unnecessary complications to what is already a bureaucratic, complex and highly legalistic misconduct system for police.

“The hearings will be rescheduled by the chairs at the earliest opportunity.”

PANORAMA INVESTIGATION

This comes after a previous hearing saw three other Met cops sacked after their “racist and and misogynistic” behaviour was caught on camera.

Sgt Joseph McIlvenny, PC Martin Borg and PC Phillip Neilson were fired after they were found to have committed gross misconduct.

Their vile comments were aired on BBC Panorama just three weeks ago – exposing a dire “breach” of professionalism and “discreditable” conduct.

They are also barred from re-joining the force or being employed by other related bodies after cops confirmed all allegations against all three were proven.

The three officers dismissed claims and said they were “groomed” and “provoked” by the reporter, insisting their comments were taken out of context.

James Berry KC said the BBC Panorama programme appeared to show Pc Neilson in a conversation outside the police station saying that a juvenile, referred to as Mr X, had kicked him in custody.

Pc Neilson told the undercover reporter that before joining the police “he had done sports massage”, and “while in the van on the way to custody he was on pressure points”, Mr Berry added.

The officer denied using inappropriate force and said the detainee had assaulted him.

He said pressure point comments were a “misguided attempt at bravado”, according to the officer, Mr Berry said.

The KC said: “He was glorifying the use of inappropriate force on a restrained detainee, whether or not the force was in fact used.”

Mr Berry added that Pc Neilson was “laughing and smirking throughout”.

The second allegation involved the officer describing Somalians as “scum” and making reference to “an invasion” of the UK by migrants.

The third allegation referred to Panorama footage showing Pc Neilson referring to an immigrant who had overstayed his visa, saying: “Either put a bullet through his head or deport him.

“And the ones that shag women, rape women, you do the c*** and let them bleed out.”

Pc Neilson admitted these remarks were inappropriate, made as he was drunk, but he denied being racist Mr Berry said.

The hearing also heard PC Borg “revelled in the use of force on detainees”, Mr Berry told the hearing.

Pc Borg later claimed he was exaggerating when he was retelling the stories.

The hearing also heard how BBC Panorama footage show PC Borg being asked who is the “most griefy”.

The office replied “Muslims”, before adding “Islam is a problem, a serious problem, I think”, the hearing was told.

PC Borg denied being racist.

‘ABHORRENT’ COMMENTS

Meanwhile, the Panorama investigation also showed Sergeant McIlvenny commenting – “that’s what she says” – when he was told by a colleague about a victim of domestic violence being kicked in the stomach while pregnant.

Sergeant McIlvenny also made comments about a woman who had been arrested while wearing a fancy dress police outfit, saying “awesome” and “I pay money to go to clubs to see women dressed like this”.

On the documentary, he also describes a woman he encountered as “monstrous” saying “she f****** fills the door”.

He was then captured making misogynistic comments about a woman in custody and advising a colleague “not to speak about use of force” in front of cameras.

Sergeant McIlvenny denied the allegations.

Chris Draper, for Sergeant McIlvenny, said the clips had been edited so the “context around the comments is lost”.

After the chairman’s finding, Sergeant McIlvenny told the hearing he has 24 years’ service in the police and “this decision has been made on a less than 10-minute clip”.

Hearing chairman Commander Jason Prins said of all three officers: “It was or must have been obvious to him that the comments made were abhorrent.”

‘INEXCUSABLE’ BEHAVIOUR

IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said: “The behaviour of these three officers and the discriminatory comments made – including misogynistic, Islamophobic and racist remarks – were inexcusable.

“As so many of us saw following the BBC broadcast, the evidence against PS Joe McIlvenny, PC Martin Borg and PC Philip Neilson was incontrovertible.

“This enabled us to decide that it was appropriate for an accelerated gross misconduct hearing to take place and to take swift action to ensure the Met had the evidence it needed to hold those hearings without delay.

“The behaviour of these officers, and its exposure, has damaged the public’s trust in the Met.

“Not only have they let down the public, but also the good officers who show up every day to serve Londoners. It is right that they have been quickly held to account, dismissed and barred from policing. 

“While we note that several other Met officers await misconduct hearings following our investigation, today’s outcomes demonstrate that discriminatory behaviour will be investigated and dealt with swiftly and robustly.”