London Bridge Terror Attack Responder Dismissed Over Discriminatory Language
A decorated detective who was among the first officers to respond to the devastating London Bridge terrorist attack in 2017 has been dismissed from the British Transport Police for gross misconduct. Detective Constable Mark Luker was sacked following a disciplinary panel's ruling that he used offensive and discriminatory language about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people in WhatsApp messages.
The 2017 Attack and Heroic Response
DC Luker rushed to the scene in June 2017 when three terrorists deliberately drove a van into pedestrians walking over London Bridge before fleeing to Borough Market and stabbing innocent bystanders. The horrific attack resulted in eight fatalities and left forty-eight people injured. Luker had served with the British Transport Police for more than two decades and was recognized for his work, receiving an award at the annual British Transport Police Federation Awards of Excellence in 2023.
Offensive WhatsApp Messages Revealed
The misconduct panel, which held a public hearing earlier this month, heard that Luker was a member of a WhatsApp group called 'Selbie Gumshoes' with other members of the Major Serious and Organised Crime team. In messages sent during 2024 and 2025, Luker used language that the panel found to be deliberately discriminatory.
On December 31, 2024, during a conversation about someone winning a bottle of whiskey with a security tag still attached, Luker wrote: 'Was this a raffle on a certain kind of site? Lots of mobile type homes? Lots of 'Dags''. He then added: 'You are the MSOC pikey liaison'.
The panel determined that these messages clearly linked the Irish Traveller community to acts of theft. They noted that the term 'dags' was derogatory, referencing a scene in the Guy Ritchie film Snatch where a Gypsy character's accent is mocked.
Further Discriminatory Comments
On March 17 last year, when another group member shared a video of a 'Paddy Day parade on Inishbofin' with the message 'Just like a Disney World Parade. They know how to put on a show,' Luker replied: 'Off to find some scrap metal, lead roofing and cable'.
The panel concluded this was 'deliberate and discriminatory' in associating the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community with theft. On March 27 last year, Luker used the word 'pikey' again, which the panel found to be disrespectful.
Defence and Panel's Findings
During the hearing, Luker explained that he was one of the first responders to the 2017 terrorist attack and that humor was one of his coping mechanisms for dealing with the trauma of that day. Concerning his use of the term 'pikey', he stated that he grew up in west London with many Irish travellers and that the word was commonly used to denote a traveller in his experience.
He told the panel that 'he did not intend to use discriminatory language and was now deeply regretful and immensely sorry'. The panel accepted that DC Luker is not inherently racist but found that, as an experienced police officer accustomed to dealing with diverse communities, he probably would have known his language was especially offensive to minority groups.
The panel wrote: 'As an experienced BTP police officer used to dealing with a whole range of people, the panel found that, on the balance of probabilities, he probably would have known that this was an especially offensive use of language directed towards members of a minority community.'
Career Recognition and Fallout
Despite his dismissal for gross misconduct, Luker's police career included significant recognition. In 2023, he accepted an award on behalf of the MSOC Investigation Review team for their work on unsolved and undetected rape offences. The British Transport Police Federation Awards of Excellence specifically aim to champion exceptional police work.
The case highlights the strict standards expected of police officers regarding language and conduct, even for those with distinguished service records and experience responding to major national incidents.
