18 February 2023 , 21:56
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Katie Price says she feels betrayed by the scandal-hit Metropolitan Police as officers are investigated over allegedly making callous jokes about her disabled son Harvey.
The TV star and ex-model, 44, told the Sunday Mirror of her fury after learning eight policemen face a gross misconduct inquiry.
They are accused of using a WhatsApp group to exchange jibes about brave Harvey, 20, who has severe disabilities.
Katie said: “These are the people who are supposed to be protecting us, people we are supposed to trust.
It’s pure betrayal. I was in shock at first, then I felt sick, heartbroken and angry.”
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She went on to call for a criminal probe, and stormed: “It’s not enough for these people to just lose their jobs if found guilty.
If this has happened to a vulnerable adult like Harvey, it will be happening to others.”
Katie told how her children Jett and Bunny are very protective of Harvey (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She said the youngsters were in tears after the alleged incident (@officialkieranhayler/Instagram)The claims are the latest in a string of damaging episodes for London’s Metropolitan force, which was last year plunged into special measures.
Today we name the officers alleged to have exchanged discriminatory messages about Harvey, who has a condition called Prader-Willi Syndrome, between 2016 and 2018.
They are: Police Sergeant Luke Thomas, PC Glynn Rees, former Acting PS Luke Allen, former PC Lee South, former PC Carlo Francisco, former PC Kelsey Buchan, former PC Darren Jenner and another listed only as Officer B.
Katie, who breached a restraining order last year, said: “I have obviously had dealings with the police in the past, and I can handle the abuse people want to throw at me.
“I can stick up for myself. When it comes to my son, it’s different. Harvey is so vulnerable, so innocent.
“He doesn’t have a bad bone in his body – all he wants is to love people and be happy. He doesn’t deserve this from anyone.”
Katie said the impact has "ricocheted through our whole family" (katieprice/Instagram)She said: “I’m just glad he doesn’t know this has happened, because if he did, it could do him serious harm.
“The impact has already ricocheted through our whole family. My children Jett and Bunny, who are very protective of Harvey, have both been in tears and Princess and Junior are furious about it.
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“They are old enough now that you can’t keep things from them, because they are asked about it at school.”
The officers’ WhatsApp group is alleged to have included “discriminatory content attacking the protected characteristics of race, religion or belief, disability, sexual orientation and sex, in the forms of messages, memes and videos”.
The gross misconduct hearing into the allegations will take place on Monday in West London. Katie shared the letter she received about the hearing on Instagram yesterday with a note for her followers.
Katie said she's just glad her son doesn’t know this has happened (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Katie said her son is 'so vulnerable, so innocent' (katieprice/Instagram)She is unable to attend but hopes to watch it remotely. And she told of her hopes that, if guilty, those involved would face “severe consequences”.
“What they have done is disgusting, and if they are allowed to get away with it, then our system needs a complete overhaul.
“If they aren’t punished, what’s to stop it happening again to other vulnerable people?
“As far as I’m concerned, no punishment is enough. I want there to be severe consequences for them if guilty.
“If I was face to face with one of them, I’d want them to meet Harvey and see how innocent he is, to see the person they are said to have targeted.
“For all of the online abuse he has had, no one has ever bullied him to his face because everyone loves him. He is kind and respectful.”
Katie also told how her daughter Princess is 'furious about it' (INSTAGRAM)The allegations are another blow to the floundering reputation of a force still reeling from a series of scandals.
Last month saw evil Met officer David Carrick convicted of 85 rapes and serious crimes. He remained on the force in spite of repeated warnings he was a danger to women.
Following his conviction new Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley – who has vowed to carry out a forensic clean-up – admitted “two or three” officers a week would face trials for crimes such as violence against women and dishonesty until 2025.
In December Met policemen Gary Bailey and Matthew Forster were sacked after a misconduct hearing into a Whats-App group in which racist and sexist posts were shared with other PCs.
To build its case, the Independent Office for Police Conduct analysed more than 6,000 messages which included racist and homophobic abuse, and derogatory remarks about domestic abuse victims, people with disabilities and women.
A month earlier serving Met PC Jonathon Cobban and former constable Joel Borders were jailed for 12 weeks for offensive racist and misogynistic WhatsApp messages swapped in a group with killer cop Wayne Couzens.
The disturbing messages had come to light after his arrest for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021.
Earlier, PCs Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were jailed for 33 months for sending photos of murder victims Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry on WhatsApp groups.