A police officer who leaked information on the Plebgate scandal to The Sun has been sacked, the Metropolitan Police Service has confirmed.
PC James Glanville gave the newspaper a photograph of an email sent from a fellow officer to his superiors about the affair.
Following the scandal, the Metropolitan Police launched Operation Alice to probe the incident.
Glanville was sacked along with PC Keith Wallis who was jailed for six months earlier this month for misconduct in public office.
Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne dismissed both officers after a disciplinary hearing today.
Former chief whip Andrew Mitchell attended today's hearing as an "interested observer".
Both former officers served with the Metropolitan Police’s Diplomatic Protection Group who guard the gates to Downing Street.
Glanville was arrested on 31 January 2013 on suspicion of leaking information to The Sun.
However, despite the Crown Prosecution Service deciding that he would not face any criminal action, the Metropolitan Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission decided that Glanville had a case to answer for “gross misconduct”.
According to the Metropolitan Police: “AC Byrne found the case against Glanville proven, in that he had breached Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity; confidentiality; orders and instructions; duties and responsibilities; and discreditable conduct.”
The investigation had found that Glanville was not on duty at the gates of Downing Street when the Plebgate incident was alleged to have happened.
“The Operation Alice team found evidence that later that evening he passed information about the incident to the Sun newspaper.
“He later provided the newspaper a photo of PC Toby Rowland's email that he sent to his supervisors, which he got from another colleague who had been on duty at Downing Street that night. He subsequently lied about his actions in statements given to detectives from the Alice team.”
Glanville has been suspended from the force since his arrest.
It is understood that three further police officers face gross misconduct hearings which are due to take place between April and May 2014.
According to the Metropolitan Police: “This investigation was carried out by detectives from the Directorate of Professional Standards and supervised by the IPCC. Detectives have examined mobile phone records, email data, journalistic material, CCTV footage, and PC Rowland's hand written notes of the encounter, plus records of a conversation with his supervisor minutes after the incident.”
Operation Alice detectives have taken more than 1,100 statements along with seizing 439 exhibits and 78 documents.
Among the items seized have been computers, laptops and mobile phones.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they will publish a full report on Operation Alice once the disciplinary proceedings have been completed.
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