Chief inspector fired for groping, again

A SENIOR police officer has been sacked twice for groping a colleague, at a cost to the taxpayer of £400,000.

Chief Insp Mark Anastasi, 50, was initially fired by Northumbria Police in 2014 after a disciplinary hearing found that he had grabbed the breast of one female colleague and put his hand on the thigh of another, while “gazing lovingly” at her.

However, he went to the High Court in Leeds and successfully argued he had not been given the chance to contest the claims as he was unwell at the time. He was then reinstated and placed on gardening leave on full pay until a second hearing could be convened.

He has now been found guilty of gross misconduct once more and dismissed from his post. With backdated pay and legal costs the overall bill is thought to be in excess of £400,000.

Det Supt Janice Hutton, head of Northumbria Police’s professional standards department, said: “No one should come to work and be subjected to this sort of behaviour by any colleague, let alone a supervisor. It is completely unacceptable and this has been reinforced by the decision of the panel.”