In a week that has rocked the Metropolitan Police to its core, four officers from Charing Cross police station have been dismissed for gross misconduct following a damning BBC Panorama investigation aired on October 1, 2025. The revelations, captured by an undercover reporter, exposed a culture of offensive banter, racist and misogynistic remarks, and boasts about excessive force within the ranks of London’s police.
The latest officer to be dismissed, PC Jason Sinclair-Birt, faced an accelerated misconduct hearing on October 24, 2025. According to BBC News, Sinclair-Birt was secretly filmed “boasting about and revelling in the use of force” on a detainee, describing how he “whacked the back of his legs five or six times” with a baton and admitting, “there’s definitely a bit of red mist there.” The footage, which showed him smiling as he recounted the incident, led the hearing panel to conclude he exhibited “a troubling lack of remorse or concern for a member of the public.”
Yet, in a twist revealed during the hearing, body-worn camera footage from the actual July 2022 incident showed that Sinclair-Birt did not use his baton and had applied only lawful and proportionate force. James Berry KC, representing the Met, clarified that Sinclair-Birt’s comments were “empty words and not a true account of the underlying incident,” insisting the officer was “embellishing the account for comedic effect.” Despite this, Chair Commander Jason Prins ruled that the conduct amounted to gross misconduct, stating, “The officer has chosen to share a false account which revelled in the use of force. In my view, the false account was meant to be taken at face value.” Sinclair-Birt was dismissed without notice and placed on the College of Policing’s Barred List, barring him from future employment in UK police services or related agencies.
This latest sacking followed the dismissal of three other Charing Cross officers—Sergeant Joseph McIlvenny, PC Martin Borg, and PC Philip Neilson—just a day earlier, on October 23, 2025. Their fast-track misconduct hearings came in the wake of the Panorama broadcast, which had shown them engaging in deeply troubling behaviour. According to The Guardian and BBC News, McIlvenny was seen mocking a rape victim’s account and making misogynistic comments about a female detainee. Borg was captured on film making Islamophobic and crude remarks, boasting about joining the police “to nick people and get into scraps,” and laughing about an officer injuring a detainee through excessive force. Neilson was heard making racist and discriminatory comments about various ethnic groups and even bragging about deliberately trying to harm a young detainee “who deserved it.”
All three denied the allegations of gross misconduct but admitted to making the comments aired in the programme. The misconduct panel, led by Commander Prins, described their conduct as a “disgrace.” The trio were dismissed without notice and, like Sinclair-Birt, were immediately placed on the Barred List. Some allegations against Borg were not proven, but the most serious charges against all three were upheld.
The BBC Panorama investigation, which sent shockwaves through the force and the wider public, showed Charing Cross officers threatening to shoot immigrants, dismissing rape allegations, and using excessive force. The undercover reporter’s footage, broadcast on October 1, 2025, prompted the Metropolitan Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to launch a series of accelerated misconduct hearings. In total, ten current and former officers from Charing Cross are facing or have faced such proceedings.
However, the process has not been without controversy. Just as further misconduct hearings were scheduled to proceed, the BBC disclosed previously unaired footage to the IOPC and the Met—material that had been repeatedly requested. This late disclosure forced the postponement of several hearings, including those for Sergeant Clayton Robinson and three others, which were rescheduled for October 28, 2025, or later. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley expressed his frustration, stating, “The actions of the BBC, which should be acting in the public interest, have added unnecessary complications to what is already a bureaucratic, complex and highly legalistic misconduct system for police.” He added, “The public rightly had an expectation that misconduct proceedings for these officers would be concluded as swiftly as possible, and we made that commitment.”
Commander Simon Messinger of the Met’s Professionalism Directorate also weighed in, telling The Times, “Following the shocking and appalling behaviour shown on Panorama, we acted immediately where the evidence was indisputable. Three officers have rightly been dismissed for their disgraceful conduct. We remain unrelenting in our commitment to raise and maintain the highest standards across the Met.” He noted that the custody team at Charing Cross had since been replaced, local leadership overhauled, and a wider review launched to identify other potential issues within Met detention units.
The hearings have revealed not only individual failings but also a systemic problem within the Charing Cross police station, raising questions about the culture within some police units. The BBC’s footage did not just capture isolated incidents but exposed a pattern of behaviour—officers joking about brutality, making racist and sexist remarks, and encouraging a culture of silence regarding the use of force. As the IOPC continues its investigation, five more serving officers and one former officer remain scheduled to face accelerated misconduct hearings.
For the public, these revelations have been deeply unsettling. The expectation that police officers uphold the highest standards of professionalism has been starkly challenged. The Met’s leadership, for its part, has vowed reform and accountability. Commissioner Rowley’s criticism of the BBC’s delayed cooperation highlights the tension between investigative journalism and institutional transparency, yet he also acknowledged, “We are grateful for the BBC’s journalism which exposed the appalling behaviour of a number of officers who are now going through misconduct proceedings.”
As the hearings continue and the Met seeks to rebuild trust, the events at Charing Cross serve as a sobering reminder of the ongoing need for vigilance, transparency, and accountability in policing. The fate of the remaining officers—and the broader cultural changes promised—will be closely watched by a public demanding real change.
