Former Gwent Police officers swapped leaked images of a naked female footballer and commented on "sex pests" in the force, according to texts newly unearthed by the Sunday Times. It comes a week after the newspaper revealed other messages from Gwent officers including racist, sexist and misogynistic comments.
Ricky Jones — who spent 26 years as a police officer, mostly in Gwent, before retirement — died in 2020, before his eldest daughter Emma looked through his iPhone and found evidence of a culture of "sexual harassment of junior female colleagues" and corruption in the force, according to the Sunday Times.
Now the newspaper has reported on more messages from serving and former Gwent police officers. These reportedly include two retired officers exchanging leaked nude images of the US footballer Hope Solo.
Read next: Trampoline park admits criminal offences after four people injured
They are also reported to include the claim that a Gwent Police motorcyclist who stuck up a middle finger at a female driver in south Wales was allowed to investigate the complaint himself. According to the newspaper, Jones wrote to a former colleague: “He [the motorcyclist officer] made me laugh. Not long before he finished, he had to deal with a woman making a complaint [about] a police motorcyclist giving the bird sign when she pulled out.
“Of course, it was treated with the utmost of professionalism and assurance the matter would be dealt with accordingly. Little did she know, he was the bloody biker! Lol what a star!”
The newspaper reports that other messages include:
• Jokes between a serving and retired officer about Jimmy Savile, the late sexual predator and BBC DJ, being sent to rescue 12 schoolboys who in 2018 were trapped in caves in Thailand. One was a picture of Savile with the quote “12 Thai school boys need rescuing? You need...”
• Videos sent by a serving officer showing a woman stripping and inserting objects into herself as part of a “magic show”.
• A former officer saying of Gwent Police: “When you look at the sex pests, drink drivers and wife beaters still sitting cosy up there its wrong”.
• Officers saying a colleague carried a “sex kit” in the boot of his car.
• A retired officer sharing a news article about men assaulting women at railway stations to a serving officer, alongside the caption: “Seen [name of officer] recently?”
• A retired officer saying of a female officer: “I actually got her to lift her skirt in Cardiff once.”
Jones was a serving officer at the time of the alleged 2016 complaint against the Gwent Police motorcyclist, according to the Sunday Times, which reports that the complaint cannot be matched to official records but will form part of an independent inquiry by Wiltshire Police.
Former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal has offered to lead a national inquiry into the texts. He said public confidence in the police has been “rocked”. Welsh Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said earlier this week: "We'll consider the call before coming out with a more considered view".
The Welsh government does not have power over policing, which is the responsibility of the UK Home Office. Home Office sources told the Sunday Times it had not contacted Gwent Police because it was a matter for the force and Wiltshire police.
Gwent Police chief constable Pam Kelly has described the messages as “vile” and not representative of the force. And Gwent's Labour police and crime commissioner Jeff Cuthbert told WalesOnline : "I've got absolutely no doubt that overall, the culture within Gwent is good. I know that there are, in terms of training of officers, particularly new officers, that the code of ethics is really pressed hard. And there are a number of initiatives that Gwent police house to actually help tackle the issue of misogyny and racism."
He added: "So whilst we have these cases, most of which are historic in nature, not all I accept that, but most of them are historic in nature. And they relate to individuals, as far as we can tell, rather than any collective concern."
A Home Office spokesman told the Sunday Times: “Police forces must root out officers and staff who do not meet acceptable standards of behaviour to restore the public’s trust, which has been shattered by recent high-profile events.”
A Gwent police spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate to provide any further detail around the scope of the inquiry led by Wiltshire police. However, it will include all material from the devices currently in their possession.”
You can read more of the latest news about Gwent Police here.
Read next:
'Shambles' as people wait more than an hour on delayed trains after Wales match
'Our daughter disappeared a year ago. We'll never give up looking for her'
Welsh blogger must pay £50k to Countdown star Rachel Riley after 'abuser' claim
'My daughter was raped, murdered and burned beyond recognition in Qatar'
Man arrested after police seen pointing guns at house near school in Cardiff
