A Metropolitan Police officer who sent a photo making light of the death of George Floyd in a WhatsApp group has avoided the sack. 

PS Jamie Hall was part of a group chat with multiple Met Police officers who were organising a trip to watch West Ham United play. 

The day before he sent the photo, a video of West Ham player Kurt Zouma kicking a cat had made the news. 

PS Hall shared a photo of the cat superimposed over the face of George Floyd as well as Kurt Zouma’s face superimposed on the face of Derek Chauvin – the police officer who murdered Mr Floyd by kneeling on his neck. 

A misconduct hearing met to discuss PS Hall’s future in the force on February 9, 2024. 

It concluded that he should receive a reduction in rank from a Sergeant to a Constable. 

PS Hall admitted sending the image but said he was very drunk as he had been drinking with colleagues all day. 

He claims he was sent the image and forwarded it on to the group chat without thinking about the image or registering that it related to Mr Floyd. 

PS Hall claimed he had never seen the original photo of Chauvin kneeling over Mr Floyd prior to this incident. 

But a misconduct report stated: “The Panel found this assertion implausible. The murder of Mr Floyd led to international outcry, marching protesters and public disorder not only abroad but here in the UK, particularly in London. 

“Police officers were deployed to such public order events and some officers were harmed.” 

PS Hall denied finding the content of the images amusing and said that looking at it while sober, it was obviously inappropriate. 

The panel concluded that while PS Hall’s conduct amounted to gross misconduct he should not be sacked. 

A misconduct report states that they considered it to be an isolated incident in a previously unblemished 15-year career. 

The panel instead decided that he should be demoted.