A High Court ruling has validated a Metropolitan Police officer's challenge against his dismissal due to serious allegations of rape and misconduct. This decision puts a potential obstacle in the police's efforts to remove underperforming officers amid scandals, notably following the murder of Sarah Everard. The court found that the vetting process used to remove Sgt Di Maria was inadequate, denying him a fair chance to contest the findings against him. London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan indicated that this creates significant implications for the Met's work towards accountability and reform.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Lang concluded that the process used in Sgt Di Maria's case - dubbed vetting dismissal - is not fit for purpose.
The process deprives the officer of any meaningful opportunity to challenge a finding of gross incompetence, she said, adding that dismissal for an officer who has been stripped of vetting clearance becomes inevitable.
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