A former police officer in the UK who admitted to sharing racist memes and jokes mocking the death of George Floyd with his friends on WhatsApp has been jailed for 20 weeks.
Thirty-one-year-old James Watts was a probationary constable in West Mercia Police in Birmingham, when he shared the racist memes with his friends, following a US police officer murdering Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes.
The Daily Mail reports Watts previously pleaded guilting to 10 counts of the offence of sending grossly offensive messages in a group chat.
On Wednesday (local time) the now-former constable was sentenced to 20 weeks behind bars.
The Mail reports Watts' name has been added to the College of Policing's barred list - meaning he won't be able to work in the profession in the UK for the rest of his life.
The racist content shared by Watts included a white dog wearing Ku Klux Klan clothing and a black dog with a noose around its neck.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tanweer Ikran said the fact Watts continued to post messages over the course of a month was "grossly offensive".
"This goes beyond stupidity and foolishness. You were previously a prison officer and I have no doubt you would have received diversity and inclusion training in that role."
