Head of Met's Black Police Association accused of sending 'clearly racist' WhatsApps mocking origins of Covid
7 January 2025, 13:42 | Updated: 7 January 2025, 13:54
The head of the Met’s Black Police Association (MBPA) took part in a WhatsApp group where “clearly racist” messages were shared mocking Chinese people and the origins of the Covid pandemic.
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Inspector Charles Ehikioya has been accused of being a member of a group chat with former police officer Carlo Francisco where vile racist, misogynistic, homophobic and pornographic messages were sent.
If found guilty of misconduct, Ehikioya, who is the full-time chair of the MBPA, could be sacked.
In more than 7,000 messages between 2017 and 2020, the officer allegedly sent and received jokes, pictures and videos described by James Berry, representing the Met, as "disgraceful" and inappropriate.
Ehikioya is also accused of failing to report the messages.
Inspector Ehikioya sent an image of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner with the comment "message from the other side, tell the Muslims there's no 72 virgins left", a hearing at Palestra House in London was told on Tuesday.
Francisco allegedly sent a video of a man snorting white powder through a tube while wearing a mask of Katie Price’s son Harvey, as the person filming says "Go on Harvey, yeah".
Francisco has separately been found guilty of gross misconduct over messages shared in another WhatsApp chat with seven others, including some about Harvey Price.
Former glamour model Price, 46, said at the time she was "shocked and upset" by the comments officers made about her 22-year-old son, who has Prader-Willi syndrome and autism.
Scotland Yard apologised to them after the hearing.
Users also sent “sexist” images, Tuesday’s hearing was told.
One saw an image of the Back To The Future film poster amended to say "Back To The Kitchen" above the message "International Women's Day is over" in the chatlog between Mr Francisco and Inspector Ehikioya.
Another video, shared by Ehinkioya, showed a man with his face ripped off, captioned: “I think the wife did this because he was late home from the pub.”
Mr Berry added that Inspector Ehikioya sent a "homophobic" video of a preacher referencing anal sex.
The group also sent a series of “racist” messages mocking Chinese people, the hearing heard. Mr Berry said that the inspector posted a video of a female police officer in another country wearing leggings, and wrote "We def ain't got girls like that in the Met".
There were also a series of "racist" messages about Chinese people, it was alleged.
On April 1 2019, Inspector Ehikioya allegedly warned Mr Francisco to "stop sending or receiving these silly porns", saying he could get into "trouble".
The hearing was told that Mr Francisco replied: "I personally trust everyone I share something with... but sorry Charles I have to stop sharing with you now."
This was followed by two smiley faces and a later post saying "April fool ma brother ohh".
Jokes about sex with a girl with Down's syndrome and mockery of the late Duke of Edinburgh's car crash were also in the chatlog, a previous hearing heard.
There was a "clearly racist" video mocking a Korean woman pronouncing Coca-Cola, graphic images of a woman on her period, pictures of a female's face being slapped by an erect penis and a joke about a "Taliban call girl", it was alleged.
Inspector Ehikioya denies the allegations, and his defence is that he did not send or receive the messages, Mr Berry said.
The hearing is due to run until January 10 and Inspector Ehikioya is on restricted duties until it ends.
