4 hours ago
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Bruce Thain and Kathryn Armstrong
A Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked for gross misconduct after appearing in an undercover report by BBC Panorama.
Three allegations were upheld against PC Philip Neilson, including making "highly racist and discriminatory remarks" about different ethnic groups. He was dismissed with immediate effect.
Mr Neilson was recorded by the BBC referring to an "invasion" of "scum" from the Middle East, and made offensive comments about people from Algeria and Somalia.
He is the first of 10 current or former officers to face a hearing as part of the Met's accelerated misconduct proceedings over footage recorded during the Panorama investigation.
In it, he was also observed saying a detainee who had overstayed his visa should have a "bullet through his head".
The other allegations against Mr Neilson related to "glorifying what he was describing as inappropriate use of force on a restrained detainee" and for suggesting unlawful violence against migrants who broke the law. Chair of the panel, Cmdr Jason Prins, found all the allegations proven.
The hearing, in south-west London on Thursday, was told that he did not dispute the words he said but argued they only amounted to just misconduct.
Giving evidence, Mr Neilson said he had been a police officer for four years and denied he was a racist.
He said he believed the undercover reporter "breached his humans rights" and it was the reporter who "kept bringing up these conversations" and "egging me on".
Mr Neilson said he had eight or nine pints of Guinness while at the pub when he made some of the comments and said he was not a "drinker".
He said he did not discriminate against anyone and footage from his body worn camera would show "no matter the ethnicity I did everything with the utmost respect".
Cmdr Prins ruled that Mr Neilson's comments caused "significant harm" to the reputation of Metropolitan Police and wider public confidence in the police and amounted to gross misconduct, describing the conduct of the officer as an "utter disgrace".
"He alone was responsible for the comments and it was or must have been obvious to him his comments were abhorrent," Cmdr Prins added.
The Met had previously said he had "displayed extreme racial, violent and discriminatory views", as well as a lack of "respect, courtesy and professionalism".
Eight serving police officers, a former Met constable, and a police constable who moved from London to serve with Gloucestershire Police will undergo accelerated hearings, the Met previously confirmed.
Mr Neilson was the first of three hearings in that process that are due to take place on Thursday. PC Martin Borg and PS Joe McIlvenny will be heard later.
The Met is seeking the dismissal of all three on the grounds their conduct allegedly amounted to gross misconduct and breached the force's professional standards.
