Two serving and one former police officer have been charged over allegations that they shared racist and misogynistic messages on a WhatsApp group that included the killer of Sarah Everard. The investigation began after searches of a phone used by Wayne Couzens, then serving as a Metropolitan police officer, who kidnapped and killed Everard last year. Two serving Met officers, who have been suspended, and one former colleague have been charged with sending grossly offensive messages on WhatsApp, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. The three are due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on 16 March.. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) sent prosecutors a file of allegations that the three shared racist and misogynistic messages between April and August 2019 on a WhatsApp group that Couzens was part of. The CPS said it could not confirm the names of the officers for operational reasons. Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the CPS special crime division, said the service had authorised charges against the officers after the referral of evidence from the IOPC. “Each of the three defendants has been charged with sending grossly offensive messages on a public communications network. The alleged offences took place on a WhatsApp group chat,” she said. “The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges to a court to consider. “Criminal proceedings are active and nothing should be published that could jeopardise the defendants’ right to a fair trial.” The two serving officers had initially been placed on restricted duties while the inquiry took place. However, the Met confirmed on Thursday that they had now been suspended. The force said: “We are aware of charges brought against two serving Metropolitan police officers and one former officer about sending grossly offensive messages on a public communications network. They are suspended from duty.”