Senior Met Office police officer faces being sacked over claims he ‘obtained information on police IT systems to undermine his bullying accusers’

• Matt Horne was working in Essex in 2018 when he bullied his colleagues
• Months later, he was promoted to become head of professional standards
• He faces the sack over claims he received information to undermine the case

A senior police officer is facing the sack over claims he obtained information on police IT systems to help his defence against bullying claims.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Horne was working in Essex in 2018 when he was found to have bullied his colleagues.

A hearing was told he threw a ‘stress ball’ at a colleague which hit him in the neck, pushed an officer over a desk and swore at him.

Regardless, he went on to be promoted to become head of professional standards at the Metropolitan Police.

Now, he faces disciplinary action over claims he accessed information on police systems to try boost his defence in the bullying probe.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Horne was working in Essex when he was found to have bullied his colleagues. Pictured at his police misconduct hearing in 2018

As deputy chief constable of Essex Police, Matt Horne pushed a chief superintendent into a desk during a ‘professional disagreement’ and later hurled a stress ball at his throat

A hearing was told he threw a ‘stress ball’ at a colleague which hit them in the neck, pushed an officer over a desk and swore at him but was still promoted by Cressida Dick

Horne is accused of failure to meet a series of standards at a gross misconduct hearing, which starts today. If he’s found guilty, he could face the sack.

READ MORE – The most damning report in the Met Police’s 200-year history: Force is condemned as ‘broken, rotten, institutionally racist, corrupt, misogynistic and homophobic’ 

He is one of the hundreds of Met Police officers being investigated after a series of major scandals emerged about their officers, including Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick.

Earlier this year, a damning report found Scotland Yard is ‘broken’ and its ‘rotten’ ranks are ridden with racism, corruption, misogyny and homophobia.

The hearing into Horne’s conduct was told that while working at Essex Police in 2018, he was found guilty of three counts of bullying.

Horne was expressing his frustration over delays in a control room where there were 2,400 calls waiting to be dealt with when he lashed out at his colleagues. 

He threw a ‘stress ball’ across the room, hitting a colleague in the throat.

The hearing was also told he pushed an officer over a desk and swore at him.

Even though he was found guilty of misconduct, Steve Kavanagh, then Essex chief constable didn’t impose any punishment and said Horne’s actions were out of character. 

Cressida Dick said her had appointed him with her ‘eyes wide open’ and described him as a ‘very capable man’ for the £150,000-a-year job

Just months later, Horne was promoted to become the force’s head of standards by Dame Cressida Dick – the disgraced former Met commissioner who was forced out of her role last April.

The unit is responsible for internal investigations but has been widely criticised for failures to root out officers who abuse their power.

Cressida Dick said she had appointed him with her ‘eyes wide open’ and described him as a ‘very capable man’ for the £150,000-a-year job.

READ MORE – Disgraced former Police Chief Dame Cressida Dick expresses shame at the force’s ‘professional and moral health’ 

However, Horne was investigated in 2020 for allegedly obtaining information on police IT systems to support his failed defence against bullying claims.

This information was allegedly sent to Horne in case it could be used to undermine the accuser. 

Horne has since been moved to oversee an IT project on restricted duties.

In May, it was found that David Clark, former chief superintendent from the City of London police, secretly passed information to Horne about the case.

A a City of London disciplinary panel found that Mr Clark, who resigned from the force in 2019, had committed gross misconduct and would have been sacked had he still been serving. 

He was found to have forwarded emails from his work account to his personal email account, and then onto Horne. 

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said that the documents were used in the bullying case.

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