'Final settlement' for Asian officer

Sergeant Gurpal Virdi was sacked in 2000

The Metropolitan Police has reached a final settlement with an Asian police sergeant who was wrongly sacked after being accused of sending racist hate mail.

Sergeant Gurpal Virdi will receive an out-of-court settlement of £90,000, according to the Commission for Racial Equality.

The compensation is for injury to Mr Virdi's feelings during the police investigation into the case.

Mr Virdi said: "This is the end of a long and extremely traumatic process for me and my family.

I hope the Met will learn from the painful lessons of this case

Lisa Connerty, Commission for Racial Equality

"This settlement means I can get back to what I am best at - high-quality policing that serves my community.

"That remains my priority despite what I have been through."

Commissioner Sir John Stevens will personally apologise to Sergeant Gurpal Virdi and his family.

Mr Virdi will get an apology for his arrest, suspension and dismissal from the Met, and for the search of his family's home.

He will return to the Met to work for Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, the force's most senior Asian officer.

The 43-year-old officer was dismissed in March 2000 after a disciplinary panel found him guilty of sending the racist mail.

No evidence

First sent in December 1997, the letters told the targeted officers to leave the force and were signed with the initials of the National Front.

Civilian workers received six similar letters in January 1998.

Mr Virdi was accused of targeting himself and other ethnic minority officers in the division where he was based in Ealing, West London.

But in August of the same year an employment tribunal found there was no evidence against him.

The tribunal also found that Mr Virdi had been the victim of racial discrimination by investigating officers.

Mr Virdi was awarded damages of £150,000 in December 2000, after the tribunal found the Met had racially discriminated against him.

The pay-out on Tuesday settled a second tribunal action Mr Virdi brought against the force.

Result 'delight'

A Metropolitan Police Authority report on police handling of his case, which was published last month, attacked the force's disciplinary procedures.

The overall cost of his case to the taxpayer in the past four years has been estimated at well over £1m.

Lisa Connerty, a lawyer for the Commission for Racial Equality, said: "I am delighted with this result.

"Mr Virdi and I have worked together for three years and I have been struck throughout by his integrity and dedication to justice.

"I hope the Met will learn from the painful lessons of this case."

Metropolitan Police Authority chairman Toby Harris said: "There are undoubtedly significant lessons to be learnt from this case and how such matters should be better conducted in the future."