'Sex joke' PC became school safeguarding lead

A former police officer who was under investigation for sexual comments to colleagues and joking about the death of a fellow officer's mother became a school's safeguarding lead.

PC Simon Taylor, 34, was found to have committed gross misconduct at a police disciplinary hearing this month and would have been dismissed had he not already resigned in August.

In September he began working for Cottenham Village College. Cambridgeshire Police said its reference to the school stated he resigned during a live investigation and later confirmed it did not relate to children.

The academy trust said correct recruitment processes were undertaken and Taylor was no longer an employee.

The report submitted to the disciplinary hearing said Taylor "zoomed into a photograph of a female colleague's breasts in a photograph on her device", and "tried to high five another officer after reading an incident log".

Taylor also "stated that he would have sex with a dog" - the report said - and had joked about the death of a colleague's mother while attending "a sudden death incident or driving past a dead animal in the road".

It also set out a number of other offensive comments of a sexual nature.

The report stated that the evidence was not contested and there were no submissions from the former officer, who did not attend the disciplinary hearing on 9 March.

It also stated in the report: "Having seen and heard evidence which includes statements from multiple police officer witnesses, I find the allegations outlined by the appropriate authority to be proven, on the balance of probability."

The school announced Taylor as its designated safeguarding lead starting in September 2025, the month after he resigned from the force.

Cambridgeshire Police said a reference was provided "which stated he had resigned while participating in a live investigation".

"References are required to be factual in accordance with our policy and cannot refer to specific allegations," a force statement said.

"However, when asked by Cottenham Village College about the allegations, we were able to confirm in September last year there were no allegations relating to children.

"From the point of his resignation on 21 August, his name was added to the College of Policing's advisory list, meaning it would appear in a DBS check, and an employer could request more information from police. It is also open to employers to sign up to an update service enabling them to know if the subject's record has been updated."

Astrea Academy Trust, which runs the school, said it was "not involved in any of the processes followed by the police, nor were we aware of the allegations that have now been made public".

"We thoroughly check the background of any individuals before they start employment in school. As part of our checks, the police confirmed that their internal investigation into Mr Taylor was not a safeguarding matter. This individual's DBS was clear at the time it was checked by the school.

"We have no reason to believe that any child was put at risk by any conduct of this nature.

"The safety of all our students is of the utmost importance and the correct safer recruitment processes were undertaken before Mr Taylor's appointment."

In a statement to the BBC, Taylor said: "During my time in the police, I made inappropriate comments whilst struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, I take full responsibility and regret these comments. There were no criminal allegations, and I resigned prior to the misconduct hearing.

"I have not hidden any information and was open and honest about my past actions."

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.