A Metropolitan Police officer has been disciplined after telling colleagues about watching dwarf tossing on a trip to Las Vegas.
Detective Inspector Gary Castle said he “hated dwarves” and would only touch them if he was wearing gloves, a tribunal found.
The panel handed him a formal written warning, after finding the incident was an ill-judged attempt to be friendly in a team he had just joined.
The incident happened on May 8 last year at Brixton police station, shortly after DI Castle became the new leader of the Child Exploitation team.
One officer heard him say “I hate dwarfs, I can’t stand them, and I won’t touch them”, and reported the remarks because it is “not ok to say these things”.
The tribunal was told DI Castle mentioned seeing “crazy stuff and strange things” while on holiday in Las Vegas, and when one colleague did not believe dwarf tossing happened he pulled up a YouTube video of a dwarf being slid or thrown towards a target.
The tribunal found his remarks were not “hate filled”, and rejected an allegation that the officer had said dwarves “make him feel sick”.
He had “embarked on a misguided attempt to ingratiate himself with the team”, the panel found.
The officer, who joined the Met in 2004, received a written warning after a finding of misconduct by the tribunal.
“DI Castle conducted himself in a manner which was unfair and discriminatory towards individuals with restricted height and which came within the ambit of disability”, said the ruling.
“Any discriminatory behaviour will always be treated seriously because of the corrosive effect it will have on the work place and the impact it will have on public confidence in policing.
“The strength of the language used (reference being made to ‘hating’ dwarfs) irrespective of the context in which the conversation occurred and the suggestion that such persons should not be touched for some reason increased the seriousness of the conduct in this matter.”
The panel decided some psychological damage had been done to colleagues, and they also read positive character references about DI Castle’s “high levels of professionalism and dedication to protect the most vulnerable sections of the community are noted”.
He was supported by senior officers, and a fellow Detective Inspector recalled an incident when he was racially abused and DI Castle supported him.
The written warning will be in force for the next 18 months.
