Chief Constable Jo Farrell gave Katie Barratt her job back despite the PC’s racist outburst in a takeaway after a work’s night out.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell gave Katie Barratt her job back and said she should get back pay despite her racist remarks
Scotland’s most senior police officer reinstated a PC sacked for using “vile” racist language, the Sunday Mail can reveal. Chief Constable Jo Farrell gave Katie Barrett her job back and said she should get back pay despite the fact she was dismissed for referring to staff in a takeaway as “f***ing n*****s” and “P***s”.
Farrell was the senior officer on a Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) that took the decision in 2019 while she worked at Durham Police – however the determination was humiliatingly reversed by the High Court which ruled the original dismissal was correct.
Our revelations have prompted the family of Sheku Bayoh to question whether the leadership of Police Scotland “will ever take racism seriously”. Sheku died in custody after being restrained by a number of officers, however a public inquiry into the incident is close to collapse as a result of a police legal challenge.
His sister Kadi Johnson said: “It is shocking to find out that such disgusting and blatant racism by a Constable who had already been kicked out was then backed by the Chief Constable in her previous role.
“Add this to Police Scotland’s sabotage of the Public Inquiry and it makes it harder for my family to trust anyone. I appreciate this was several years ago but it begs the question how are we to have confidence that Police Scotland’s leadership will ever take racism seriously.”
Barratt was dismissed from Northumbria Police by a disciplinary panel in June 2018. She referred to staff at the Spice of Punjab restaurant in Newcastle city centre with racist language at least five times during a drunken conversation while on a night out with fellow officers.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell was the senior officer on a Police Appeals Tribunal(Image: PA)
The staff members did not hear her comments, which included her saying “I wish these P***s would hurry up with my pizza”, but she was reported by a colleague.
However, she was reinstated by the three-member PAT, which consisted of a lawyer as chair and Farrell as a senior officer, alongside a retired officer.
They concluded that although her actions amounted to gross misconduct, Barrett should be reinstated with back pay and a final written warning. But that ruling was challenged at the High Court in Leeds where a judge overturned the PAT’s decision.
Kadi Johnson, sister of Sheku Bayo, and solicitor Aamer Anwar(Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
In a written ruling Mr Justice Freedman said: “The only reasonable decision on the facts of this case was dismissal. It was not just an odd word that just slipped out, it was a whole volley of expressions, and it contained vile, offensive and racist language.”
Farrell’s involvement in the scandal heaps pressure on the Chief Constable who is already facing criticism on a number of fronts.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The Chief Constable is a passionate champion of police values and standards and is driving an anti-racist agenda within policing and across society and it is misleading and inaccurate to suggest otherwise.
“The independent panel which considered the police appeal tribunal was chaired by a QC and its findings and summary of reasons, which upheld the gross misconduct decision, were published in 2019.”
Earlier this month it emerged Farrell – who earns £270,000 a year – has slapped taxpayers with a huge bill for her second home. The Chief Constable used £134,000 from the public purse towards a luxury Edinburgh flat. Her family home is a £1 million house 100 miles away in Northumberland.
Jo Farrell has faced criticism for previous decisions(Image: PA)
Farrell has previously been criticised for arranging for an on-duty officer to drive her home to England from Edinburgh during Storm Babet. She has also faced criticism over claims she tried to enlist a disgraced top cop to advise of Police Scotland’s digital strategy.
Former Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Nick Gargan quit the force after being found guilty of eight counts of misconduct including inappropriate messages from his work phone.
The Sheku Bayoh public inquiry is investigating the circumstances of his death and whether race was a factor. However the probe has been thrown into chaos after chair Lord Bracadale resigned in October.
It came after the Scottish Police Federation questioned his independence and began the process of seeking a judicial review in court.
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