Police officer says he sent transphobic, homophobic, racist and sexist messages “to fit in”

A misconduct hearing was informed that a police officer, who shared transphobic, homophobic, racist, and sexist messages with a fellow officer, claimed he was “trying to fit in”.

PC Gareth Horton, a father of two, exchanged WhatsApp messages from March to July 2023 with a Merseyside Police officer while serving in the same force.

According to ‘Yahoo! News’, the hearing revealed that PC Horton responded to inappropriate messages with “crying laughing emojis” and sent texts with “homophobic and violent overtones”.

As a result, the officer was dismissed and prohibited from working in policing.

PC Horton joined Dyfed-Powys Police in October 2023 and had a prior career as a soldier before his police service.

At a hearing in Dyfed-Powys Police’s headquarters in Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire, he acknowledged breaching professional standards, which amounted to gross misconduct.

These issues emerged during an unrelated investigation into the other officer after his phone was seized.

The first message, sent to PC Horton on March 26, 2023, contained a transphobic advert, to which he replied with laughing emojis.

He did not challenge further messages sent to him, according to the hearing.

On May 31, PC Horton sent messages with homophobic overtones about the TV presenter Phillip Schofield, as reported at the hearing.

Days later, he sent messages with homophobic, racist, and violent overtones.

PC Horton explained to the hearing that he was “still trying to fit in and make friends” since joining Merseyside Police in 2020.

He insisted, “This really does not represent my true character,” and admitted, “It's ignorance and stupidity on my behalf. I'm honestly so remorseful.”

The force’s barrister, Katherine Hampshire, emphasised that public knowledge of these messages would lead to them being “rightly horrified”.

“You behaved in a manner that would discredit the police service and undermine public confidence,” she stated.

Ms. Hampshire concluded that “given the seriousness,” the outcome could only be dismissal.

Susan Ferrier, PC Horton’s barrister, noted that he accepted breaches of standards in July 2024, acknowledging it amounted to gross misconduct.

She highlighted PC Horton’s honesty and willingness to rectify his actions within the force.

Ferrier criticised the accelerated misconduct process, calling it “unusual and irregular”.

Referring to PC Horton as a “young man who has behaved in a bad way,” Ms. Ferrier argued he had done everything possible to make amends.

She suggested that “a final written warning would be the entirely appropriate approach”.

However, the hearing’s chairman, Mr. Iain Arundale, dismissed PC Horton due to the “seriousness” of the messages.

While acknowledging that PC Horton took responsibility, Mr. Arundale remarked that the messages were “at the higher end of the scale” in culpability.

Pointing out a “pattern of behavior” over three months against groups protected under the Equality Act, he asserted that the messages were “discriminatory” and that the public would be “horrified”.

PC Horton departed the hearing with his wife after Mr. Arundale delivered the final judgment, which will see his name added to a list of individuals barred from policing.