Ex Met police officer from Hampshire convicted over foul racist WhatsApp message in group chat

Michael Chadwell, a former Metropolitan Police officer from Liss, Hampshire, was found guilty after a trial at City of London Magistrates’ Court today (November 6). The 62-year-old originally denied one count of sending by public communication a grossly offensive racist message.

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Court heard on September 28, 2022, that Chadwell shared the post in a group chat with former Met colleagues. He forwarded a graphic into the group, which had been created by someone else and shared on social media, showing a picture of different coloured parrots above an image of children of different races.

Text on the images said “Why do we cherish the variety of colour in every species… but our own?”, underneath which a comment in response said “because I have never had a bike stolen out of my front yard by a parrot”. District Judge Tan Ikram said: “He thought it was funny but it was grossly offensive and he was aware of that at the time, that is why I find the defendant guilty of this offence.”

Chadwell is due to be sentenced at the same court this afternoon alongside five co-defendants. They are all former Met officers, who last month admitted sending grossly offensive racist messages.