A disgraced former Metropolitan Police officer who “ruled through fear” over junior officers also joked about raping and killing a female colleague, it has been revealed.
Detective Sergeant Ian Beattie, who led a team on the Road Transport and Policing Command, openly made crude sexual remarks about women and gave preferential treatment to the young female officers he was attracted to.
A misconduct hearing was told he bullied some of the junior officers on his team, made sexist, racist and homophobic remarks, and officers were too afraid to report his behaviour to his superiors.
In a damning report made public this week, it was revealed that Beattie – who quit the force in April last year – made vile comments about a gang-rape of a woman.
And a Met colleague reported how he joked of attacking a young female officer on a work trip to Europe.
The misconduct hearing was told Beattie showered the PC - who had just completed her probation - with praise, and it was suggested they go to Belgium or Holland in search of a wanted suspect.
He was overheard making “several remarks about the sexual acts he wants to do to (her)”, a male colleague told the hearing.
“I heard Ian say the only problem is ‘I wouldn’t be allowed back in the country for the things he would do to her’”, he said.
“I remember him saying as part of the conversation suggesting he would have killed her after doing things to her, I assume of a sexual nature.
“Ian implied he would get nicked for what he had done.
“Ian had said about all the things he would like to do to her. I interpret this as sexual things.”
He added: “I was feeling very repulsed at what he said and I was thinking this poor girl.”
The misconduct panel heard how Beattie would stare at women, comment “good arse” when they walked past him in a shared office with Transport for London staff, and he once got on to a train going in the wrong direction in order to talk to an attractive female PC.
One of his former colleagues said Beattie had a “clear preference” of talking to “slim and pretty” female officers aged between 25 and 35.
“He told them about CID, what we do and how coming up to the unit would be a great benefit for them”, he said.
“Now this in itself would be a good thing however he would routinely do this to the female attachments that he found attractive.”
Other officers, however, were not given favourable treatment from Beattie.
A black female officer was ignored by Beattie, the hearing was told, and he once commented about “too many lesbians in the office” that needed “weeding out”.
A gay female officer said she was discriminated against by Beattie and not offered work from home options in contrast to the preferential treatment of straight colleagues.
And a gay male officer recounted how he was bullied by Beattie over the course of more than two years, including an incident where the senior officer reacted angrily to a joke, put his clenched fist next to his face, and suggested he might have his “teeth knocked out”.
“Ian made my life in a job I really enjoyed horrible”, he said. “I couldn’t cope with him and me being in the same office and I class myself a victim of his bullying behaviour.”
The misconduct panel found eight allegations dating from July 2019 to October 2021 had been proven against Beattie, and concluded: “No explanation is provided to assist us understanding why things have gone so terribly wrong for this officer in the way he behaved towards some of the junior colleagues directly under his supervision.
“The behaviour we have had described by witnesses is abhorrent, damaging to those officers affected and risked undermining moral, trust and leadership within a team of police officers.
“Sadly, we cannot help but note a lack of any evidence of insight, reflection nor even apology from former DS Beattie at any stage in these proceedings.”
The panel ruled Beattie would have been dismissed without notice if he was still serving.
After the hearing, Chief Superintendent Simon Ovens, head of Roads and Transport Policing, said: "No one should have to suffer the kind of abuse former officer Beattie subjected people to while he was in the Met.
"I am appalled and deeply saddened at the atrocious behaviour he displayed. It has absolutely no place within my command, or the wider organisation, and I reiterate the Commissioner’s widely expressed commitment to root out those who seek to corrupt our integrity.”
Beattie, who is now banned from working in policing in the future, did not attend the misconduct hearing or offer any evidence.
