A former police firearms officer who tweeted sexist, homophobic and crude jokes including one about Prince Andrew being fed contaminated chicken has kept his job.
PC Andrew Jacks ran an account on X, formerly Twitter, for ten years making comments that were demeaning to women, gays and disabled people.
He shared a photo taken covertly of a mother “with the biggest fake boobs” who had been at Jungle Adventure children’s play park in Colchester, Essex on August 18, 2014.
Describing her as a “bird”, he posted two images showing her chest, followed by the comment to friend Chris Hayter: “Best I can do. Doesn’t really do them justice!”
City of London Police Commander Umer Khan, who led a gross misconduct panel, told Jacks: “An aggravating factor of such conduct is that it is reasonable to assume the female was at the play park with a child.
“By your comments and actions in taking and sharing the images you failed to treat this member of the public with respect and courtesy, choosing instead to objectify her for your and Mr Hayter’s entertainment.
“As such your conduct was also such as would discredit the police or damage public confidence in it.”
In April 2013, Jacks posted under the username @jaxy987 about the now disgraced Duke of York: “I knew someone who f***ed a chicken before cooking it for Prince Andrew. The chicken was dead before penetration #navylads.”
The disciplinary hearing found this comment used inappropriate language, but did not breach professional behaviour.
Jacks also called one friend a “big fat poof” in June 2012 and two months later described a female train passenger as “an old slag”.
In May 2013, he tweeted: “AIDS is a terrible thing. Especially Turkish AIDS” which Cmdr Khan found had been used “in a derogatory way implying that homosexual men were liable to catch it”.
Jacks argued times had changed since many of the posts were made but the panel decided “some of the terminology used by the officer was outdated even in 2012”.
Jacks, who was of previous good character and admitted some of his actions, breached standards in relation to authority, respect and courtesy, and discreditable conduct.
The force issued him with a five-year final written warning.
Chief Superintendent Sanjay Andersen, head of professionalism and trust, said: “This misconduct case is a direct result of our highly improved and continuous re-vetting processes in place for all serving police officers and police staff.
“The panel, which is convened in line with Police Regulations, found that in posting his tweets, regardless of being off duty and using a private account, this officer showed a lack of respect and courtesy toward parts of our community.
“He used offensive and unacceptable language of a misogynistic and homophobic nature.
“His conduct does not reflect the professional standards we expect, and he has been given a final written warning that will remain in place for a full five years.”
