Charles Ehikioya #

Introduction #

Charles Ehikioya is a former Metropolitan Police inspector who, until January 2025, served as head of the Met’s Black Police Association (MBPA). On 10 January 2025 a disciplinary panel dismissed him without notice for gross misconduct after finding he was in a WhatsApp group chat in which racist, sexist and inappropriate messages were sent and received. Ehikioya said he "categorically" denied the allegations, called the decision "manipulated," and indicated he would appeal.

Background Information #

Ehikioya, an inspector in the force, was the head of the Metropolitan Black Police Association, the staff association representing Black officers in the Met. The conduct case centred on a WhatsApp chat he shared with former officer Carlo Francisco, spanning a period from 2017 to 2020 and involving more than 7,000 messages. The hearing panel, led by Commander Jason Prins, heard evidence about the content of the chat across several hearings in January 2025.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Allegations. The disciplinary finding against Charles Ehikioya was reached by a Metropolitan Police misconduct panel, which substantiated allegations that he engaged in racist, sexist and otherwise inappropriate behaviour in a WhatsApp chat. Ehikioya has "categorically" denied the allegations, argued the case against him was fabricated because of his race and role, and stated he intends to appeal the finding. This is a police disciplinary determination, not a criminal conviction, and the matter is contested.

The panel heard that, in messages over 2017–2020, Ehikioya sent and received jokes, pictures and videos that it described as racist, sexist, misogynistic and otherwise inappropriate. He allegedly sent an image of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner with the comment "message from the other side, tell the Muslims there’s no 72 virgins left," along with a series of racist messages about Chinese people and jokes about sex with a girl with Down’s syndrome. The LBC report detailed further items, including a Back to the Future poster altered to read "Back To The Kitchen" above the line "International Women’s Day is over," a video showing a man with his face ripped off captioned "I think the wife did this because he was late home from the pub," and a "homophobic" video of a preacher referencing anal sex.

The panel found Ehikioya breached police standards of professional behaviour in respect of equality and diversity, discreditable conduct, and challenging and reporting improper conduct. It also noted a message from 1 April 2019 in which Ehikioya allegedly warned Francisco to "stop sending or receiving these silly porns," saying he could get into trouble. Commander Prins said the panel had found "that Inspector Ehikioya has engaged in racist, sexist, misogynistic and otherwise inappropriate behaviour," that "to a large extent the messages speak for themselves," and that his defence was "fanciful" and "far-fetched."

Public Reaction and Consequences #

After the hearing, Ehikioya said: "I believe this outcome was manipulated to ensure a finding against me and is part of a deliberate campaign to smear my reputation… The process from the very beginning has been flawed and it is clear to me that this decision is an attempt to silence my voice in the fight against the endemic racism within the [Metropolitan Police Service]." He accused the force of treating him differently from a white officer who had faced misconduct allegations. Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, called it a "difficult day" for Ehikioya, noted he intended to appeal, and criticised "irregularities" in the disciplinary process and the time taken to reach an outcome. A Met Police spokesperson said the force was "confident that this was not a case where disproportionality was a factor," while acknowledging that the presence of disproportionality in the misconduct system "more broadly remains a real concern."

Current Status #

The panel, led by Commander Prins, decided the "appropriate and proportionate sanction" was dismissal without notice. The now-former inspector said he intended to appeal, and the next week updated his reponse by stating he had been subjected to an "unfair investigation" and that the misconduct case was "just the latest in a long history of black officers being disproportionately scrutinised and penalised."

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The dismissal ended Ehikioya’s career as an inspector in the Metropolitan Police and removed him from his prominent role as head of the MBPA, an association that had backed him on fairness grounds while not commenting on guilt or innocence. The case became another flashpoint in the ongoing public debate about discipline and disproportionality inside the Met: a senior Black officer dismissed — with the association he led arguing the process was flawed — even as the force insisted race was not a factor in his particular case.