Three Met officers found guilty of gross misconduct over Sarah Everard case

A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked after accessing confidential files about the case of Sarah Everard.

PC Myles McHugh was among three officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct at a three-week disciplinary tribunal in south east London.

On Friday, the tribunal panel said trainee detective constable Hannah Rebbeck, who had also accessed sensitive data, also would been dismissed without notice if she had not already left the force.

Marketing executive Ms Everard, 33, was kidnapped, raped and murdered by then-serving Met officer Wayne Couzens over the course of March 3 and 4 2021.

Both McHugh's and Rebbeck's actions were described by the panel as an "egregious breach of the trust".

Sergeant Mark Harper was handed a final written warning, to last for three years.

McHugh had looked at information about Ms Everard's medical history, relationships, employment and lifestyle.

The panel said his behaviour was at the "higher end of harm" as he was dismissed without notice for repeatedly accessing the police system on matters which had nothing to do with his duties.

He looked at personal data which was "very sensitive" and "he attempted to discuss what he had seen with his colleagues", according to panel chairwoman Sharmistha Michaels.

She said he acted out of a "curiosity" about the investigation as he accessed data "extensively and accumulatively" but stopped looking for the information after Couzens was arrested.

After the hearing, the Met said the panel heard that PC McHugh accessed the information while off duty and for a significant period of time, while former DC Hannah Rebbeck was found to have repeatedly accessed sensitive data without any link to her duties.

The panel ruled the breaches of professional standards were so serious that the only appropriate outcome was dismissal.

Statement from Deputy Assistant Commissioner:

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: “Today as always, our thoughts remain with Sarah Everard’s family and friends. We have apologised to them for the added distress this case has caused and I recognise the wider questions and concerns this raises.

“Our officers and staff are regularly reminded that police systems and specific files must only be accessed where there is a legitimate policing purpose to do so. This includes reminder screens and warning pages when logging on to our software systems, as well as mandatory training on information management which must be completed by everyone within the organisation.

“It is clear the panel has carefully considered the circumstances of each individual case before coming to their conclusion that three officers had no acceptable reason for looking at this information.”

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