Met Police officer bombarded ex with 80 WhatsApp messages and reported her for theft
An Iraq War veteran-turned-police officer was 'motivated by revenge and anger' when he reported his ex to Kent Police for theft, a court heard. Former PC Gary Chant, 43, was sacked from the Metropolitan Police on September 20 after he was convicted of harassment without violence following a trial at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 20.
Chant, of Squirrels Close in Swanley, Kent, was up for promotion to the Met's Counter Terrorism unit before he bombarded Clare Waters with 80 WhatsApp messages over four hours during an acrimonious breakup.
The former soldier, who also served in Northern Ireland and with the American military for nine years, claimed Ms Waters had stolen items after suddenly leaving their home.
Both worked at Charing Cross police station, where Chant was a police constable and Ms Waters a custody nurse. In her ruling, Judge Louisa Ciecióra said 'there was a power imbalance he was aware of' and described the report to Kent Police for theft as 'premature'. "It was not done out of any sense of duty, it was motivated by revenge and anger," said the judge.
The texting spree began on October 31, when Chant came home to find Ms Waters had, according to him, unexpectedly left the home, taking with her some items intended for his daughter. Chant responded by sending 23 messages, then blocked Ms Waters. His barrister, Jessica Hocking, said it was then Kent Police who suggested he unblock Ms Waters to resume contact.
This was, however, under the assumption the messages would be amicable. Instead Chant sent 80 messages between 12.34pm and 4.26pm, while both were on duty at Charing Cross police station. They included calling her a thief, childish, and untrustworthy, and that she was worse than his ex wife and not better than the people he deals with in custody.
Ms Water's told Chant she was busy at work, so he went and checked the custody area before accusing her of lying. He also told her he had reported her to Kent Police for theft after she left his home. Separately, a misconduct hearing heard Chant sent a message to Ms Waters on September 23 'threatening to kill her animals'. Chant described this comment as 'off-hand'.
'I feel like he can destroy me'
In her victim statement, Ms Waters said she was 'anxious, upset, and scared' and that she had taken sick days after feeling 'physically sick'. Her trust in men has been damaged, her children do not want her to enter another relationship, and she still feels on edge, she wrote. "Now he's lost his job, I feel like he's going to get me... I do feel like he can destroy me," she added.
Ms Hocking outlined Chant's long record of public service - in the British Army and the Met - and his duties to a 14-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. She asked the judge to consider the messages in the context of a 'distrustful and dysfunctional' relationship, at a time when he was stressed by divorce, home renovations, and apparent PTSD arising from his service in Iraq.
"What you have before you is a broken man," said Ms Hocking, "He accepts he should not have sent so many messages, and that he was rude. But he was frustrated... His conduct was a reflection of his own stress at her leaving unexpectedly, and leaving with his stuff."
Judge Ciecióra, however, thought the 'theft' accusation was obviously premature, and said Chant would have been aware that disputes over property were a normal part of ending a relationship. Referring back to Chant's motivation of 'revenge and anger', she described his call to Kent Police as 'an abuse of power', even if in his civilian capacity.
Chant was spared prison, but must complete a 12-month Community Order with 20 days rehabilitation, 100 hours of unpaid work, and a electronic curfew from 9pm to 6am each night. He is also banned from attending Ms Waters' home in Grays, or making direct or indirect contact with her, for three years. Chant must also pay £834 in court costs.
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