Essex Police Officer Sacked Over Football Match Tragedy Chanting

Katy PrickettBBC News, Essex

PA Media Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo shields the ball from Liverpool's Trent Alexander Arnold near the touchline at Anfield. — Sgt Tyler Coppin was ejected from Anfield during Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea

A police sergeant who was banned from football matches for “tragedy chanting” has been formally dismissed from his force.

Tyler Coppin, 29, from Colchester, pleaded guilty in court to a public order offence in connection with an incident at the Liverpool v Chelsea game at Anfield in October.

He has now been found to have committed gross misconduct at an Essex Police misconduct hearing.

Essex’s Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: “If officers are responsible for upholding the law, it cannot be right that they break it.”

“Ex-Sgt Coppin’s dismissal is the result of a moment’s serious stupidity, but this is the only appropriate outcome,” the chief constable said after the hearing

Stuart Woodward/BBC Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington, who has short light brown hair. He is wearing a white shirt with blue police lapels and a dark tie. He is sitting in a room with the Essex Police log blurred out on a white wall behind him. — “Ex-Sgt Coppin’s dismissal is the result of a moment’s serious stupidity, but this is the only appropriate outcome,” the chief constable said after the hearing

Coppin’s actions while off-duty were witnessed by Liverpool FC stewards at the match on 20 October and he was ejected from the stadium and arrested.

Merseyside Police said he had been “tragedy chanting”.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, tragedy chanting is when fans sing, chant or gesture offensive messages about historical disasters or accidents related to a football club.

He pleaded guilty to one offence under the Public Order Act – behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress – at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court on Merseyside on 13 December.

‘Clear message’

As well as the football banning order, Coppin was ordered to pay fines and costs of £645.

At the misconduct hearing, the former sergeant was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct.

Mr Harrington acknowledged his officer’s remorse and a previously unblemished career in policing, but dismissed Coppin from the force without notice and he will be placed on the College of Policing barred list.

“It is clear that ex-Sgt Coppin was remorseful and may not have been aware of the impact of his words, but he has been criminally convicted of a public order offence,” the chief constable said.

“His actions will seriously undermine public trust and confidence and I must send a clear message to officers, staff and the wider public that behaviour such as this cannot and will not be tolerated in policing.”

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