Met Police officer who threatened to kill ex's animals is sacked

A Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked after he threatened to kill his former girlfriend’s animals in a harassment campaign.

PC Gary Chant, 43, sent a series of “disturbing” messages to Clare Waters after their relationship broke down at the end of October 2023.

A misconduct hearing was told the officer had earlier sent Ms Waters a message “threatening to kill her animals”, and he was warned by bosses to be “amicable” at work after the romance ended.

Then, in early November, when they were working together at Charing Cross police station, Chant sent 80 messages in the space of less than four hours, calling Ms Waters a “thief”, “childish”, and “untrustworthy”.

He demanded that she “drop off his stuff” and said she “was worse than (his) ex-wife and no better than the people PC Chant deals with in custody,” the hearing was told.

“PC Chant also messaged saying that he knew Ms Waters was working that day, was not busy at work and told her not to ignore his messages.

“He also said that he had checked the cage area of custody and knew that she was not busy because the cage was empty.

“Ms Waters had messaged five times saying she was busy and that she would reply when she was free.”

Chant also reported his ex to police for theft, before he was himself was reported for harassment.

He was convicted of harassment without violence at trial in August, and he is due to be sentenced on October 1 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Chant, from Swanley in Kent who was part of the Met’s Central West Command Unit, is currently appealing his conviction and asked for the misconduct hearing to be delayed until all legal proceedings are over.

But Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor refused the request and found Chant to have committed gross misconduct.

The hearing was told Chant accepted the actions behind his criminal conviction but “disputes that it amounts to harassment,” the hearing was told.

He also insisted that the animals comment was “off-hand”, and disputes that he watched Ms Waters at work.

Assistant Commissioner Taylor noted Chant had sent many of the messages while on duty, and concluded: “PC Chant’s conduct was intentional and committed over a prolonged period of time. Some of the messages were deeply distressing to Ms Waters. Such actions can only have the effect of damaging public confidence in policing.”

He was dismissed without notice, and his name will be added to the police barring list.

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