Dorset police officer believed sharing Sarah Everard evidence 'vital'
Dorset Police has released the chat messages at the centre of a misconduct hearing this week
Last updated 24th Feb 2022
A senior member of the Police Federation accused of "gossiping" about killer Wayne Couzens has said he would be "beside himself" if he believed he had added to the distress of Sarah Everard's family.
Sergeant Simon Kempton was on secondment serving as treasurer of the federation, the body representing officers in England and Wales, when Couzens abducted and killed Ms Everard.
Mr Kempton, of Dorset Police, is facing misconduct hearings for sharing details of Couzens' defence with other members of the Police Federation executive in a Signal group.
The officer received the information from a Daily Mail journalist who attended Couzens' first court appearance on March 13 last year.
Signal messages Dorset Police misconduct hearing 1
In one message, he said: "Wait til you hear what his defence was today."
Mr Kempton goes on to set out Couzens' false claims he had abducted Ms Everard and handed her over alive to a gang of eastern European men in order to pay off a debt.
He then discusses the fact Couzens had been caught on CCTV in B&Q buying builders' bags, and the fact the victim's body had been found in these bags.
Mr Kempton adds: "Essentially coughing to kidnap but denying murder."
One officer replies: "The old 'slipped and fell', the next thing I knew ...'"
Adding: "He is better off just blaming it on the fact he is ginger."
Another said: "He had suffered a nasty bang to his head which might explain why he thought that excuse might fly."
Mr Kempton is accused of breaching standards of police professional behaviour concerning respect and courtesy, duties and responsibilities, social media use and confidentiality.
It is further alleged his actions had the potential to undermine confidence in the police.
Giving evidence at a hearing at Dorset Police headquarters, Mr Kempton denied wrongdoing.
He said he believed it was vital that everyone in the executive team was briefed about the case so they could discuss the stance to be taken in subsequent press releases.
"We were talking about how we could play our part in building confidence and whether we needed to have any lines for the media prepared," he said.
He continued: "At that point, the federation, through me, we knew that (Couzens) had admitted at least one grave offence, and that changes things on a number of levels."
As treasurer, Mr Kempton said he also had some involvement in claims from Police Federation members for legal funding.
"My thought process went to the (legal funding) claims team, I was not aware at that point we had not had a request from Couzens for funding, but I thought it wasn't beyond the realms of possibility that
(Couzens) might think: 'Blimey, I need to ask for that help'," he said.
"Once we put out a press release, we can't retrieve it, so for me that was the most urgent concern, followed by a claim for (for legal fees) that we may already have decided to fund."
The press release subsequently issued by the Police Federation did not mention Couzens by name.
Mr Kempton said: "It was a deliberate decision, to make sure we focus on where we thought we should be, which was the Everard family, and it seems like a poor choice of words, but also to 'distance' ourselves from Mr Couzens."
When asked about the tone of his messages, Mr Kempton said: "It was conversational and I regret that in light of where I am sat, but it is conversational because this is a conversation."
He said the messages were "factual" and he was repeating what he had been told by the journalist.
When asked if he believed the messages were discourteous to Couzens, he replied: "I do not, I am essentially repeating what Wayne Couzens has said."
Mr Kempton denied they showed a lack of respect and courtesy to Sarah Everard's family, saying: "I don't accept that and that's hurtful."
He continued: "God only knows what they had already been through - if I had in any way contributed to their distress I would be beside myself.
"I don't think I did, but I would be beside myself."
The misconduct hearing is due to conclude by Friday.