Ex-Met Detective Caught in Shocking Abuse Scandal
Former Detective Constable Joseph Gilligan has been slammed for a series of gross misconduct offences during a hearing at Empress State Building, SW6, from 22 to 25 March. Attached to the North West Basic Command Unit, Gilligan abused his police powers in a shocking domestic abuse case.
Sex, Secrets and Searches: The Ugly Details
- On 26 March 2019, Gilligan took charge of a domestic abuse investigation involving a woman and her former partner.
- By 20 June 2019, he had crossed the line, starting an improper sexual relationship with the victim.
- On 28 October 2019, he leaked sensitive images and footage from a serious sexual assault case to the victim – a blatant breach of trust.
- Between January and February 2020, Gilligan carried out four unauthorised searches relating to the victim and her ex, with no policing purpose.
- He forwarded confidential Met police emails about the victim and others to his personal account on 19 December 2019.
- Between 1 and 11 December 2019, Gilligan accessed the victim’s phone without consent on three occasions, deleting photos, viewing texts, and even filming himself reading private messages. He sent recordings to third parties.
- On 29 November 2019, he crashed his car in a police station car park while allegedly over the drink-drive limit. Instead of reporting it immediately, he lied, claiming a diabetic episode caused the crash.
Resigned Before Getting the Boot
After an Independent Office for Police Conduct probe, an independent panel found Gilligan guilty of gross misconduct, including discreditable conduct, confidentiality breaches, dishonesty, and abusing authority.
Gilligan quit the Met in February 2021. Had he remained, dismissal would have been immediate and without notice.
Chief Superintendent Sara Leach said: “Former DC Gilligan’s behaviour was completely unacceptable and I am pleased that he is no longer a serving officer – people like him are not welcome in our Met. His actions fell far below the rigorous values and standards that we strive to uphold.
“Officers should protect victims, not exploit their trust by forming relationships with them. Public trust is paramount, and this kind of behaviour has no place in the Met.
“We want only the best officers and will always act when employees fall short. Our professional standards team is determined to root out wrongdoing and hold people to account.”
Forever Barred from Policing
Gilligan will be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list. This blacklist prevents him from working for police forces, police commissioners, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, or Fire and Rescue Services.
The Met is already pushing reforms to rebuild public trust, including independent reviews, scrutinising all ongoing investigations into sexual and domestic abuse allegations against officers, and boosting their professional standards investigators.
