Former senior police officer who was found with child abuse on her phone is SUING the Met after ‘witch hunt destroyed her’

A highly decorated black former police superintendent is suing the Metropolitan Police, claiming she was subjected to a racist and malicious witchhunt that ‘destroyed’ her career and health.

Ex-Superintendent Robyn Novlett Williams says the Met forced her out of the job after a six-year legal and disciplinary ordeal, sparked by her conviction over a child abuse video sent to her on WhatsApp, which she insists she never watched.

She is now taking the force to an employment tribunal, accusing it of racial and sexual discrimination, harassment, and victimisation.

In her testimony, Williams accused the Met of orchestrating a ‘campaign of attack’ targeting senior black and minority ethnic officers, and claimed the organisation was dominated by a ‘white female clique’ and ‘white male pitbulls’.

The Met repeatedly tried to remove her from her post after the video, which showed child abuse, was discovered on her phone. 

Williams said she didn’t report the clip, sent by her sister, because she didn’t see it and was the only one of 17 people who received the video to be prosecuted.

She has now accused the force of ‘disproportionate and malicious attempts’ to get rid of her and says she was ‘ultimately forced to resign’ last year after a long battle that severely impacted her mental and physical health, The Times reports.

She was probed in February 2018 after the 54-second video was found on her device. 

Robyn Novlett Williams (pictured in 2016) is taking the force to an employment tribunal, accusing it of racial and sexual discrimination, harassment, and victimisation

In her testimony, Williams accused the Met of orchestrating a ‘campaign of attack’ targeting senior black and minority ethnic officers, and claimed the organisation was dominated by a ‘white female clique’ and ‘white male pitbulls’

At the time, she had served 39 years in policing and had been awarded the Queen’s Police Medal.

She told the tribunal that if she were a white male officer, the incident would have been handled internally.

‘Despite my absolutely unblemished record, this crime was prosecuted in a way determined to take me down,’ she said, claiming the lead investigator pursued the case aggressively because he was ‘angry’ she had supported a colleague who had complained of racism and bullying.

She added: ‘I was their most successful and award-winning Black female officer, and they destroyed me.’

After being found guilty, she was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and register as a sex offender for five years.

She was fired despite the judge ruling there was no sexual element to the crime. 

But the Police Appeals Tribunal slammed the brakes on the Met’s move and forced them to reinstate her. 

Ex Superintendent Novlett Williams says the Met forced her out of the job after a six-year legal and disciplinary ordeal, sparked by her conviction over a child abuse video sent to her on WhatsApp, which she insists she never watched 

In her statement, Williams said returning to work had been ‘scary’ as she felt she had a ‘target’ on her back and that she has been in an ‘extreme distress and was overwhelmed’ that her life had been ‘shattered’.

The Met lost its fight against the PAT’s ruling in the High Court, then hit Williams with a fresh investigation over claims she failed to declare bank cards and an overseas trip, which she was legally obliged to report as a registered sex offender.

Williams says the force tried to ‘capitalise’ on these breaches by pushing her to accept a police caution — something she knew would lead straight to disciplinary action and getting sacked.

‘It was a set-up, disproportionate and malicious,’ Williams said, adding the Met ‘pressured’ the Crown Prosecution Service to bring charges against her.

The Met declined to comment.