Police officer shared racist John Barnes video

A Merseyside Police officer shared a video of a banana being thrown at a TV showing the black Liverpool footballer John Barnes.

Former PC Thomas Birkett resigned before he could be sacked, but was convicted of gross misconduct at a hearing chaired by his former boss, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.

Mr Birkett was investigated after a colleague was arrested over an unrelated harassment case in 2019, and had his phone searched.

Merseyside Police said the former constable's behaviour "discredited" the force.

In a written judgment Ms Kennedy said Mr Birkett had both sent and received videos from another officer.

Birkett admitted sending and receiving videos but said that he "resents any accusation that he is a racist" and used family friends that are "of colour" as evidence - which Ms Kennedy described as "offensive".

The force's Professional Standards Department (PSD) found messages in which he joked about not sending inappropriate material to an officer because "he's a [sergeant] now".

Other examples of racist material included a TikTok video of a white woman being chased by a black man, a video suggesting a woman in a hijab should be thrown from a ship, and a video of a man annoyed to see a mixed race man on the Isle of Wight.

Mr Birkett was charged with breaching professional standards around authority, respect and courtesy, challenging improper conduct, equality and diversity, and discreditable conduct.

In deciding that the officer had breached those standards, Ms Kennedy said: "The communities of Merseyside should quite rightly be disgusted by this case."

She described the videos as "vile" and said members of the community and other officers would "struggle to have confidence" they would be fairly treated by Mr Birkett.

The hearing was told that in 2015 PC Birkett, then 23, had been present when fellow Merseyside officer PC David Phillips was struck and killed trying to stop a stolen pick-up truck driven by Wirral criminal Clayton Williams.

In the misconduct hearing, Ms Kennedy said: "Events that former officer Birkett has been witness to during his service have clearly had an impact and I am sympathetic, but this cannot excuse the vile and discriminatory messages and videos that former PC Birkett shared."

After the hearing Det Ch Supt Sabi Kaur, head of PSD, said: "The unacceptable action of individuals will not be allowed to damage the good name built up by the vast majority of our officers and staff who do an exemplary job."

Mr Birkett's name has been added to the College of Policing barred list prohibiting him from working for the police in the UK.

He has the right to appeal.

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