Police officers sentenced for offensive WhatsApp messages with Wayne Couzens | 5 News

► Two Metropolitan Police officers have been sentenced to three months in prison after sharing racist, homophobic and misogynistic messages in a WhatsApp group with former officer Wayne Couzens.

Joel Borders and Jonathon Cobban were found to have joked about raping female colleagues, tasering children and joking about people with disabilities. They were sentenced to 12 weeks at Westminster Magistrates Court today and were bailed ahead of appeal.


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[jaybell]

The sympathisers here Should give the recordings to their Mother's, wives, girlfriends And Daughters, nieces etc For See if you Idiots Survive to See Next Year 2023! 😆😆

[jacmar]

They should absolutely be fired for misconduct etc etc. But prison time for offensive messages in a private group chat? Really? The law needs repealing.

[FF-sosu]

Fracking disgrace, those who brought this to trial should be put on trial for crimes against freedom of expression and against justice and freedom .

[steveo]

No less than the police deserve for enforcing these clown laws. If only the police force as a whole though for themselves and collectively refused to enforce such anti-free speech laws.

This is precisely why you don’t defend this kind of nonsense law making, it gives it power and it will ultimately come for you too.

[picklerick]

The only thing Orwell got wrong was the year

[TheOrangeFondler]

The lack of journalists questioning this decision is disturbing but predictable.

[avmo_sb]

As police officers have a big responsibility they need to be kept to a higher standard of character and should definitely be fired for talking that way...but sentenced to prison for whatsapp Unless there's a law I'm unaware of concerning police officers then this is unacceptable to be jailed for whatsapp?! What happened to free speech?? If this ruling is unchallenged we live in SCARY TIMES

[Justanotherandy]

3 months for posting things that are no worse than many comedian's acts?

[willmorris]

Absolutely shocking that they are facing prison time for being “offensive”

[flapjackni]

No one should be charged with causing an offence. This is not a free country.

[justthisguy]

For everyone trying to downplay this I will remind you that they literally talked about raping a colleague.

[bond]

Amazing they got time, normally handshake and pat on the back !

[tropicaltraveler]

E? Why can people not have their opinions and share them between each other? That is pretty much what is happening. Wasn’t even said directly to the person/victim. Even if it was, I don’t think it should be a crime, at all.

[goldeneddie]

What a clever way to get people onside with accepting JAIL TIME for PRIVATE conversations by making it about a policeman texting horrible jokes about victims. If you applaud this, don't be surprised when they come for your PRIVATE messages now the precedent has been set. 'B-b-but I'm not a police officer!' Yeah, sure - so they'll be nicer to you then. Definitely.

[StormGuy.Productions]

This is a complete violation of their privacy

[darrylbrookes]

ive just found the law and is "you can not send offensive messages on a public communications network"
by happenstance there was a 3rd person unnamed who was offended by the comunication.
this makes it public rather than private.
because of this ruling one could argue that all digital messages are public in effect if the person you send the private message to is offended you may end up in jail.
strange law and i dont know who would want to prosicute, but in devorce this law may become "helpful" to one side vs the other

[goldeneddie]

They should be sacked for inappropriate messages - sacked, not jailed. They haven't raped anyone, just texted about it. Tasteless yes, but a crime worthy of jail? A text message??

[BadlydrawnBen]

Jail for offensive internet posts welcome to 1984

[DfiftyMusic]

A joke is a joke, so we’re not allowed to think freely now?

[FF-sosu]

So private messages are no longer private and jokes are no longer allowed.