A police sergeant has resigned in disgrace after an investigation found he had shared vile pornographic videos as well as discriminatory jokes on WhatsApp.
Married Glyn Martin, who had been a respected officer with Greater Manchester Police for 14 years, left the force in shame weeks before a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of gross misconduct. The Rochdale -based officer - who has received counselling for a self-confessed addiction to online porn - shared a series of vile clips, some showing sexual violence and bestiality and two offensive pictures featuring disabled people.
He also received - but did not forward - anti-Semitic and Islamophobic content as well as an image glorifying a white supremacist. Martin also confessed to 'sexting' and being engaged in 'multiple concurrent chats' online. "I am deeply ashamed of my actions," he said.
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Sgt Martin resigned in March ahead of a disciplinary hearing which took place on April 25 and which concluded he would have been dismissed from the force had he not already left. Details of the shocking images and videos he shared on WhatsApp have been revealed in the disciplinary panel's formal judgement on the case, which has been published on the force's website.
The former officer refused to attend the hearing at force HQ in Newton Heath in person but the disciplinary panel allowed his request to attend remotely via Rochdale police station, where he was based. He said he didn't want to attend in person as he felt 'anxiety', according to the judgement. The panel was told Martin joined the force in December 2003 and was promoted to sergeant in September 2010.
He received images and videos 'of an obscene, offensive and inappropriate nature' and then forwarded some of them to others between March and November 2017, it reveals. The material was uncovered when the officer's home was searched by Lancashire Police.
The first message dated March 22, 2017, contained a 'sexually offensive' picture featuring a young disabled person - Mr Martin admitted he sent it and he told the disciplinary panel: "I accept this was offensive and inappropriate and I deeply regret sending the image."
He sent compilation video the following day which featured 'extreme pornography of an adult male performing self-mutilation'. He said he didn't recall the clip and insisted he believed he forwarded it without viewing all of it. He insisted he didn't find the video 'funny or interesting' but accepted he had been 'inappropriate and reckless' in sending it.
He admitted he sent another 'offensive' clip later the same day, this time showing extreme pornography featuring sexually explicit violence on male genitalia. Again, he told the hearing he didn't remember the clip and sent it without viewing it in full. He accepted it had been 'inappropriate and reckless' to send it.
Some 16 minutes later he sent another video showing a man 'engaged in bestiality'. Martin said he didn't remember this clip and insisted he had forwarded it without viewing it in full. He told the hearing: "I regret sending it."
A week later, on the morning of March 30, he admitted he sent another offensive clip showing a man performing sex acts on an unconscious woman. He said he regretted sending it, didn't find the content 'funny or interesting' and could not recall sending it.
That night he admitted he saved an offensive image from Twitter featuring a disabled person, and then forwarded it via WhatsApp. He told the hearing: "I did not intend to offend anybody by sending the image, which does not reflect my thoughts, values or morals. I deeply regret my actions."
A few days later, on April 1, he sent image on WhatsApp showing a paragraph 'advocating sexual violence'. Martin told the hearing: "I accept that it was inappropriate of me to forward these images on. They certainly do not reflect my thoughts, values or morals. I uphold the law, I do not condone the committing of serious sexual offences. I deeply regret my actions."
On April 4., he sent a video of a pornographic actress whose face had been superimposed with offensive comments. "I regret forwarding this inappropriate and distasteful video on," said the officer.
A week later, on April 11, he admitted sending another video featuring extreme pornography and sexually explicit violence, although he said he couldn't recall doing so. He told the panel: "I do not find the content funny or interesting and I believe that it was sent on without viewing it in full. I accept that this was inappropriate and reckless and I regret sending it."
Martin received a video of a woman 'engaged in bestiality' on October 13 but he said he couldn't remember it. He received another at 5am on October 18 which featured extreme pornography and sadomasochism. He received another compilation of extreme pornography on October 21 which was four minutes and 37s long. He said he could recall neither.
The following month, on November 15, he received an image which contained anti-Semitic content. "I do not recall ever viewing this image or being aware that it was on my phone," he told the panel. A few days later, on November 19, he received an image featuring 'graphic Islamophobic content'. The next day, he received another Islamophobic image. He said he could recall neither.
The final image he received, on November 23, showed an image which it was said glorified a 'white supremacist racist' with references to slavery. He said he could not recall the picture.
Explaining his actions, Martin told the panel: "In 2017 I used WhatsApp compulsively. I sent and received many messages on WhatsApp. I sent and received many images and videos on WhatsApp too. I did not open up, in order to enlarge, all of the images I received, I did not view all the videos I received in full or at all.
"I often forwarded images and videos without viewing them properly or in full. This was part of my compulsion. I often received media on my phone and quickly sent it on to others, usually individually rather than in a group chat, in order to make them laugh, or to keep a conversation going, so that I felt wanted or good about myself for making someone laugh.
"For example, I would often receive a genre of videos called 'Simply Lovleh'. They are funny compilations but I understand now that some clips in those Simply Lovleh compilations were offensive. There was an occasion when I forwarded one of these compilations without viewing it in full and later realised that it contained something offensive and so apologised to those I had sent it to."
He added: "I accept that it was reckless of me to send on images or videos without ensuring the contents of them. I sought help for this addiction through counselling. I accept that there were some images and videos that I forwarded on which were obscene, distasteful and offensive and I am deeply ashamed of my actions. Throughout my career I have treated members of the public and my colleagues with the utmost respect and courtesy. I would never make the types of jokes I forwarded over WhatsApp out loud to anyone and I should not have treated WhatsApp any differently. I accept that a member of the public would not expect a police officer to behave in the way that I have."
The panel concluded the conduct amounted to 'gross misconduct'. They said: "Mr Martin sent to third parties material that on any reading was obscene and deeply offensive, he forwarded images of sexual violence and sexual activity with animals, and images and 'jokes' which are discriminatory and offensive."
The panel went on: "The officer accepts before us that he was reckless. We agree. Moreover he actively engaged in online activity which he described to Lancashire Police and then (GMP's) Professional Standards Branch included online adult sexual relationships and 'sexting', he was addicted to online pornography and engaged in multiple concurrent chats, in our view that exposed him to risk and despite that heightened risk he sent on material without fully viewing the content.
"His admitted craving for approval and attention meant in our findings that he did not care what he was sending." Martin had told the panel he craved the 'dopamine hit' of the next notification on his phone.
He forwarded one offensive video to three fellow police officers on WhatsApp and then warned them he had sent it without viewing it and told them they should delete it, the disciplinary hearing was told. The panel considered it an 'aggravating feature' of his case that even after this incident he continued share offensive material.
The panel took into account that he had sought counselling for his addiction to online pornography, had shown remorse and was of 'previous good character'. But they ruled out giving a written warning as this 'would undermine public confidence and given his rank and experience, it would set a bad example to others and look as if such conduct was condoned when a key principle of the misconduct regime is to deter misconduct'.
They said: "We have therefore concluded that Mr Martin’s conduct was so serious that the only reasonable, proportionate and appropriate action in his case would have been dismissal without notice."
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