Dorset Police officer who shared Sarah Everard evidence guilty of misconduct
Sergeant Simon Kempton actions were 'careless and reckless' and risked the reputation of the police.
Last updated 26th Feb 2022
A Dorset Police officer's been found guilty after sharing sensitive information about Sarah Everard before it was made public.
A misconduct panel ruled Sergeant Simon Kempton was careless and reckless when he shared Ms Everard's killer's account of events in a group chat for ten police federation executives. He has been handed a final warning which will be in place for the next two years.
On 13th March at around 10 pm he wrote to the executives "wait till you hear what his defence was today" referring to Wayne Couzens's police interview which had been mentioned in court. Restrictions in place at the time barred the information from being made public.
Signal messages Dorset Police misconduct hearing 1
During the hearing, he argued that the information he shared was essential for building a media response to Ms Everard's kidnap and murder.
But the panel ruled that Sgt Kempton had made a serious mistake that risked harming the reputation of the force and the Police Federation.
They found he breached standards in three areas:
Authority, respect and courtesy,
Duties and responsibilities
Conduct
In a final statement, Sgt Kempton said:
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to make a comment to the Everard family. God only knows what they’ve been through just the idea that I’ve inadvertently added to their pain devastates me and is something I will never, never forget.”
He said he regrets any reputational damage he caused Dorset Police.
“To my colleagues, I’d like to repeat now publicly and apology that I’ve made privately.
“This has been the low point of my life the last 12 months. It’s had a sad and enormous effect not just on me but on those I care about and love.”