A police officer has been dismissed from the force after a disciplinary hearing revealed she shared offensive WhatsApp messages mocking Katie Price‘s disabled son, Harvey.
Sergeant Natalie Dolan, who was responsible for training student officers at Greater Manchester Police (GMP), was found guilty of gross misconduct following a four-day hearing.
While the panel cleared her of allegations involving racism and sexism, they concluded her messages regarding disability and colleagues crossed the line into professional misconduct.
The hearing centred on an 18-month exchange between Sgt Dolan and a former trainee, PC Jones and the panel, chaired by GMP’s Chief Resource Officer Lee Rawlinson, highlighted two specific messages that targeted disabled people.
Dolan suggested new recruits were so incompetent they ‘need to be read to like Harvey Price‘.
She used the slur ‘sp*ckers’ and referred to recruits as ‘lickers’, a term the hearing was told is a ‘horrible’ way to mock disabled individuals.
Though Sgt Dolan’s counsel, Jennifer Ferrario, argued the ‘Harvey’ comment was a joke based on a social media GIF and claimed ‘licker’ was a typo for ‘ar** licker,’ the panel rejected these defences.
They ruled the language was ‘mocking of disabled people’ and ‘discriminatory’.
Sergeant Natalie Dolan, who was responsible for training student officers at Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
The investigation into the 43-year-old sergeant’s digital footprint revealed a pattern of unprofessionalism beyond the ableist remarks.
The panel found 23 messages contained ‘disparaging or offensive’ remarks about her fellow officers and 4 messages explicitly mocked the student officers she was tasked with training.
She had also previously referred to the Chief Constable, Sir Stephen Watson, as an ‘ar*e’.
Following the verdict, Katie Price took to social media to condemn the officer’s behaviour, emphasising the gravity of professionals in positions of power targeting the vulnerable.
She said: ‘I will do everything and anything to stop this disgusting behaviour from professionals mocking and making disgusting remarks about my son.’
Despite Sgt Dolan’s long career and her defence that she was simply ‘dismayed’ by the quality of modern recruits, the panel found her behaviour untenable for a serving officer, reports the MEN.
While the force’s barrister, Stephen Morley, had alleged the messages were also racist and sexist, citing comments about ‘recruiting at the mosque’, the panel ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove those specific charges on the balance of probabilities.
The findings of ableism and gross misconduct resulted in her immediate dismissal from Greater Manchester Police.
Following the verdict, Katie Price took to social media to condemn the officer’s behaviour, emphasising the gravity of professionals in positions of power targeting the vulnerable
Dolan suggested new recruits were so incompetent they ‘need to be read to like Harvey Price’
Concluding the hearing, Mr Rawlinson stated that Sgt Dolan had fundamentally breached the requirements for integrity and equality.
He described her behaviour as a ‘serious departure from expected ethical standards’ and noted that her discriminatory language toward disabled people was likely to bring the police service into disrepute.
The panel further found that Dolan had failed to challenge inappropriate conversations at an early stage and had improperly shared confidential information about trainees without a policing purpose, creating a clear conflict of interest.
Mr Rawlinson confirmed that, taken together, these breaches amounted to gross misconduct.
Barrister Stephen Morley argued that dismissal was the only appropriate outcome, emphasising that Dolan was part of the very team responsible for teaching ethics to new recruits.
However, defence lawyer Jennifer Ferrario highlighted Dolan’s 25 years of ‘glowing’ service and ‘substantial personal mitigation.’
She stated that while her client accepted the findings, the ‘Harvey’ comment was intended as a ‘joke in bad taste’ and argued for a final written warning or demotion instead of dismissal.
In addition to her immediate dismissal, Sgt. Dolan has been placed on the College of Policing barring list, preventing her from serving in law enforcement again.
In a statement issued after the hearing, DS Dave Jones, from the force’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: ‘Police officers are rightly held to the highest standards of professional behaviour.
‘The behaviour identified in this case was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect the many hard-working and committed officers within Greater Manchester Police. GMP is committed to creating a professional, inclusive, and respectful working environment.
‘There is no place in our organisation for behaviour that discriminates on the grounds of any characteristic. I hope this outcome demonstrates that we will take robust action where standards are not met, regardless of rank or role.
‘We remain determined to uphold the highest levels of integrity and ensure that those who serve with us reflect the values we stand for.
‘We are committed to ensuring that any officer who falls short of these standards is held accountable action has been taken in this case to maintain public trust and confidence.’
