A senior member of the Police Federation accused of “gossiping” about the Wayne Couzens case told colleagues “wait til you hear what his defence was” in a Signal chat.
Sergeant Simon Kempton, of Dorset Police, is accused of breaching standards of courtesy and respect, social media use and confidentiality for sharing details of the killer’s defence on the messaging app.
Mr Kempton was on secondment serving as treasury to the Police Federation, the body representing police officers in England and Wales, when a journalist told him information heard in court.
In a series of messages to other members of the federation’s executive, he says: “Wait til you hear what his defence was today.”
Mr Kempton adds: “He said he used prostitutes and took one to a Travelodge type place in Folkestone,” followed by: “He underpaid her so his family were being threatened by the gang.”
He Kempton continues: “They said, ‘…well you’d better get us another girl then …’
“So he went and found Sarah and took her to a lay-by in Kent where a Mercedes Sprinter on Romanian plates flashed him. He handed her over and didn’t see her again.
“Except he was seen on CCTV in B&Q and bought two builders bags.
Undated handout photo issued by Dorset Police of a screengrab from conversations had by Sergeant Simon Kempton of Dorset Police, who is accused of breaching standards of courtesy and respect, social media use and confidentiality for sharing details of the Wayne Couzens's defence on the messaging app. Issue date: Wednesday February 23, 2022.
Dorset Police
“And she was found in a builders bag.
“So essentially coughing to kidnap but denying murder.”
The sergeant adds in the messages: “Admitted in interview to using prostitutes regularly at the same hotel.
“No comment after they found the body and reinterviewed him.”
“He and his wife bought some land in Kent. Where Sarah’s body was found. I imagine the SIO will want to have a bit of a look around there.”
One colleague responds: “The old ‘slipped and fell’, the next thing I knew …'”
He adds: “He is better off just blaming it on the fact he is ginger.”
Another says: “He had suffered a nasty bang to his head which might explain why he thought that excuse might fly.”
Mr Kempton denies wrong doing, claiming that he was briefing his colleagues on important information that would inform their media response to the case.
Mark Ley-Morgan, presenting the case for Dorset Police, said the “tone and content” of the messages was “indicative of someone who was gossiping”.
He added: “It is is not consistent with someone imparting important information he believes others need to know.”