Met Police officers found guilty of gross misconduct in Sarah Everard case

Three Metropolitan Police officers have been found guilty of gross misconduct for accessing files relating to the case of Sarah Everard with “no proper policing purpose”, a tribunal has found.

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”.

Metropolitan Police constable Myles McHugh has been sacked over the misconduct while the panel also said former Met detective constable Hannah Rebbeck would have been sacked had she not previously resigned.

Sergeant Mark Harper was given a final written warning over the incident, which will last for three years.

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.

In a statement, the Met Police 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.

“These breaches of professional standards were so serious that the only appropriate outcome was dismissal.”

Detective Constable Tyrone Ward, former Inspector Akinwale Ajose-Adeogun and former Detective Sergent Robert Butters also faced the same misconduct hearing but the tribunal ruled they “did have a legitimate reason” for accessing the information and therefore did not breach any policing standards.