Ex-Cop Found Guilty of Misogynistic Misconduct at Sussex Police
A former police officer has been slammed for gross misconduct after a panel ruled they acted in a highly inappropriate, misogynistic way towards female colleagues. The hearing took place at Sussex Police HQ on April 27, with the officer granted anonymity following legal requests.
Serious Allegations Over Off-Duty Behaviour
The officer, known only as Officer X, faced accusations of two counts of sexual touching and one of voyeurism dating back to 2018 and 2019. All incidents happened while off-duty, and the victims were colleagues. Officer X was arrested and charged but found not guilty in a 2021 trial. They resigned later that year in November. Sussex Police’s Professional Standards Department pushed for the misconduct hearing, reflecting their zero-tolerance approach to misconduct.
Panel Unanimous: Gross Misconduct Committed
The panel concluded Officer X violated professional standards surrounding authority, respect, courtesy, and conduct. This amounted to gross misconduct. Had the officer still been serving, they would have been sacked immediately. Now, they’re permanently barred from policing by being added to the College of Policing’s Barred list.
Police Vow to Stamp Out Misogyny and Misconduct
“We expect our officers to act with the utmost integrity, in line with the Code of Ethics,” said Superintendent Petra Lazar, deputy head of Professional Standards. “We are committed to challenging and tackling unprofessional and unethical behaviour. Criminal actions and misogyny have no place in Sussex Police.”
“The officer’s conduct fell well below our standards, as confirmed by the panel’s findings.”
