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Six retired British police officers were handed suspended sentences Thursday for offensive and racist messages in a WhatsApp group which made reference to Meghan Markle and others. Five of the former London cops, all in their 60s, pleaded guilty in September to sending offensive messages. The sixth—62-year-old Michael Chadwell—pleaded not guilty to a count of sending an offensive message but was convicted after a trial last month. Chadwell was sentenced to 10 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, while the others were given sentences of between six and 14 weeks’ imprisonment, also suspended for 12 months.
The men, who had all served in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command, were charged after a BBC investigation brought the messages to light. All of them were sent between 2020 and 2022, a period in which the men were already retired.
Among the exchanges were three racist messages about Prince Harry’s wife, the Duchess of Sussex. Others made reference to Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Rishi Sunak, the U.K.’s first prime minister of color. Commander James Harman, the Metropolitan Police’s Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command lead, said in a statement after the sentencing that the “the racist and discriminatory content of these messages is absolutely appalling.” “Given the defendants once served as police officers, we recognise that this case may further damage confidence in policing,” Harman said.