Amber Peat death: PC sacked after sending 'inappropriate' texts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-34463504

Version 0 of 1.

A police officer has been sacked after leaking confidential information, including texts, about the death of a missing schoolgirl.

Nottinghamshire PC Samantha Goodwin texted friends to say Amber Peat's body had been found hanged in undergrowth.

She breached professional standards of behaviour over more than three years, a misconduct hearing was told.

Chief Constable Chris Eyre described her actions as "profoundly inappropriate".

'Private' conversations

Amber Peat, 13, left home after an argument in May and her body was found three days later less than a mile away from her home.

Her death was not treated as suspicious.

Hundreds of local residents took part in searches and her parents made a television appeal for her to return.

PC Goodwin admitted sending text messages using racist terms, taking stills from a police interview and sending them to her partner, and using offensive language to refer to vulnerable victims of crime.

One message contained a racist term for the Pakistani community, another included derogatory terms for Turkish people.

A police spokesman said: "A number of text messages were found which contained something which seemed to be at odds with the officer's role and core values at Nottinghamshire Police."

Mr Eyre said the police officer "could not be trusted with the most personal and sensitive information".

He also said her conduct was "profoundly inappropriate" and damaged the reputation of the police.

PC Goodwin did not attend the hearing, but Police Federation spokesman Malcolm Spencer said the officer had believed the conversations were private.

"There was no dishonest intent. Has this officer been disingenuous or lied about her conduct? I would say not," he said.

"She has been totally honest throughout in accepting the comments that she has made, accepting that in the cold light of day how abhorrent they are."