Katie Price blasts GMP sergeant dismissed over Harvey remarks
Katie Price attacked a now-sacked Greater Manchester Police sergeant after a misconduct hearing found she had mocked her disabled son Harvey in WhatsApp messages. Sgt Natalie Dolan was dismissed without notice on Thursday April 30 after a four-day hearing.
Price posted on Facebook on Wednesday after details of the hearing were reported, writing: "I will do everything and anything to stop this disgusting behaviour from professionals mocking and making disgusting remarks about my son!!"
GMP hearing on Dolan
The panel heard that Dolan, who was part of the team that trained new recruits, referred to student officers as "Harveys who need to be read to". The hearing was told the phrase was a reference to Price’s son, and that the WhatsApp messages ran over an 18 month period from April 2021 to July 2022.
GMP said the messages were discriminatory, ableist and generally offensive. The panel found Dolan had been disparaging of disabled people and had used language in a way that was discriminatory. It also found she had made disparaging or offensive remarks about colleagues in 23 messages and mocked student officers in four messages.
WhatsApp messages and the panel
Jennifer Ferrario, Dolan’s barrister, said the reference was a "joke" tied to a "Harvey GIF" Price had posted on social media, and described it as "a joke in bad taste". But Lee Rawlinson, who chaired the misconduct hearing, said: "PS Dolan acted in a way that was a serious departure from expected ethical standards."
He added: "Taken together, these breaches of standards were so serious, that they amount to gross misconduct" and said "the only option is dismissal."
The panel also found Dolan had shared confidential and sensitive information about trainee officers with former officer PC Jones when there was no proper policing purpose, and that she had allowed a conflict of interest to occur with him. It found no proof that any of the messages were racist or sexist.
Price response and GMP action
GMP said Dolan was added to the College of Policing barring list. DS Dave Jones said: "The behaviour identified in this case was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect the many hard-working and committed officers within Greater Manchester Police."
He added: "GMP is committed to creating a professional, inclusive, and respectful working environment." He also said: "There is no place in our organisation for behaviour that discriminates on the grounds of any characteristic."
For Price, the immediate result is a formal dismissal, a barring-list entry and a disciplinary finding that leaves no room for Dolan to remain in post. For other readers inside policing, the case shows how a WhatsApp trail can end a career when it crosses into gross misconduct.
