Met Police Officer who wished Harry Kane would die in plane crash sacked for gross misconduct

A police officer has been sacked in disgrace after sending a series of shocking messages to colleagues - including wishing England football captain Harry Kane dead.

PC Niall Bowler sent a series of messages on WhatsApp which targeted famous people - including former Spurs star Kane and former England manager Gareth Southgate - as well as colleagues, one of whom he branded a "f*****g spaz".

Details of a misconduct hearing against Bowler - held by the Metropolitan Police - revealed how, in December 2022, he sent offensive messages about Bayern Munich star Kane after the striker missed a penalty for England - wishing he would die in a plane crash. He wrote: "F***ing Kane. Dumb c**t. Hope he gets a private jet home and it crashes."

Bowler went on to reference Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash in 2019 following a medical at Cardiff City. "I'd recommend the company that flew (Emiliano) Sala. Join him at the bottom of the English Channel," he added.

"But to miss a massive box from that close. F***ing retard Southgate shouldn’t be making Kane captain."

Other messages, sent between August 2022 and February 2024, included criticism of colleagues, including one Bowler dubbed a "f*****g nightmare to work with" and "really autistic", as well as a string of other incidents. In one, he said of a police colleague: "She’s really autistic too, sits there twitching away and grunting.

“She’s like post but not funny. Trying to hold a conversation with her is frustrating. After every sentence she just goes 'mmmmmm', or even when you're mid sentence. Just be quiet."

He also wrote: "I wonder what the spaz would think about this case as a fed rep."

Another message concerning a supervisor, Bowler wrote: "Ugly mental hags? Nah not for me. You can keep her. She’s got plenty of time on her hands these days. Make sure you've got time in your diary for her."

At the hearing, Bowler admitted gross misconduct but suggested any discrimination had been accidental. However, deputy assistant commissioner Andy Valentine, in the ruling which sacked PC Bowler and added him to the policing barred list, said: "It is entirely unacceptable for police officers to use discriminatory language.

"Doing so undermines public trust and confidence in policing as well as our reputation. The public could have no confidence in PC Bowler to act with due respect to protect them, particularly those with protected characteristics."