PC sacked for sexual messages to vulnerable woman

A police officer has been sacked for the "grossly inappropriate" sending of sexual messages to a "highly vulnerable" member of the public.

The Greater Manchester Police constable, known as Officer A, was found to have been "apparently seeking or encouraging sexual engagement" with the woman and sent 239 messages over a six-week period.

Officer A denied formal misconduct, claiming there was no malintent to his actions. Despite claims of mitigating circumstances regarding his mental health, he was sacked and barred from policing at a misconduct hearing on 15 December.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said Officer A had "demonstrably breached" the standards of professional behaviour required of him.

Officer A told the misconduct hearing both his decision-making and his ability to remember the events in question had been "significantly impaired" as a result of his own mental health conditions.

Despite this, Officer A's culpability was determined to be high.

It was determined the officer had suffered from a range of previously undiagnosed mental health conditions, but that these were not linked in any way to causing his misconduct, the hearing was told.

Also, on the morning of the hearing, Officer A submitted numerous applications relating to his fitness to participate, requests for adjustments, adjournment - and claims of exclusion of evidence, among other things.

These requests were described as "cynical and unreasonable" by the chief constable, and were dismissed due to the lateness of their submission.

Officer A's actions regarding the vulnerable member of the public had been "clearly designed to evidence sexual motivations", the misconduct panel found.

He acknowledged the woman was highly vulnerable when he came into contact with her - and acknowledged her vulnerability would have persisted beyond the date of his first contact with her.

Watson said regardless of any assertions of reciprocation, "Officer A knew, or ought to have known", that given the "acknowledged vulnerability" of the woman, "his conduct was reprehensible and morally indefensible".

"Notwithstanding the fact that the officer only partially accepted that he had misconducted himself, the fact remains that he has demonstrably breached the standards of professional behaviour."

Watson added the officer's "continuing in the office of constable is highly likely to be incompatible with the sustaining of public confidence in the integrity and professionalism of our officers".

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