Two police officers have been sacked after leaving a message on a mother’s voicemail saying they hoped her vulnerable child would “get raped”.

PCs Samuel Dexter and Hannah Mayo were heard laughing as they made the comments.

The constables, from Avon and Somerset Police, were called out after the child went missing and one of them rang the mum’s mobile for more information.

There was no answer, but the voicemail had inadvertently been activated and recorded the conversation.

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According to a transcript PC Dexter said: “X was like and you can’t stop me and walked out the door and I was like whatever. I felt like saying I don’t give a f*** I hope you get raped.”

The pair admitted gross misconduct and were dismissed without notice following a hearing.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh said the officers’ comments had “broken the trust” that the child’s family had with the police.

He said: “Those comments, which I accept were out of character and said with flippancy, risk damaging the confidence of the wider community in the police profession as a whole.

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“They go way beyond the boundaries that could be described as ‘dark humour’.”

He added: “I cannot accept that the comments were a mistake, they were far more serious than that, and the people we serve will be appalled to hear that police officers spoke in such a way about a child.”