Gross misconduct proven for two former Gwent Police officers over sharing of offensive messages

Two ex-Gwent Police officers would have been dismissed were they still serving following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into discriminatory, offensive and derogatory messages shared on WhatsApp.  

At the end of a one-day misconduct hearing, former PCs James Heley and Simon Lewis, who resigned three days before the hearing, were found to have breached police standards of professional behaviour relating to: authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity and discreditable conduct. Both former officers have now been placed on the police barred list. 

Gwent Police made a mandatory referral to us in November 2022 after derogatory and inappropriate messages were found on the phone of deceased former officer, Ricky Jones.  

We started an investigation soon after, which expanded to 11 serving and former officers, who had exchanged WhatsApp messages between April 2015 and February 2019. The messages in the group included:  

• comments of a racist nature related to the Grenfell Tower disaster
• PC Heley shared a video portraying violence against a woman
• PC Lewis made homophobic remarks linked to a colleague’s trip to Thailand 

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell: “Many of the messages shared within the WhatsApp group over several years were discriminatory, wholly inappropriate, and unprofessional.

“The misogyny, homophobia and racism revealed within these messages was shocking,  completely unacceptable and has no place in policing. This behaviour and the attitudes it exposed has the real potential to undo the great work undertaken by police officers on a daily basis, including those who seek to build trust and confidence with communities, especially communities who are harder to reach and those representing minority groups.” 

A digital forensic examination of Mr Jones’ phone by IOPC investigators led to the download and analysis of hundreds of messages shared between Mr Jones and several of his former colleagues. During our investigation, which concluded in October 2023, we also obtained statements and interviewed individual officers, as well as reviewing relevant force training and policies. 

We have been advised by Gwent Police that a gross misconduct hearing is yet to be held for a former officer who also allegedly exchanged offensive messages in the group.  

Notes to editors: 

As part of the same group, misconduct was proven for three serving officers, at disciplinary meetings held in 2024.

There was no further action for four former officers being investigated for misconduct as they had left the force either before, or during our investigation.   

We withdrew our criminal and gross misconduct investigation for a serving officer over alleged unauthorised disclosure of police information, due to insufficient evidence.   

More detail on these outcomes is available here.