But reputation in tatters, says boss
A SENIOR policewoman has been allowed to keep her job after flashing her breast during a drunken rant about a colleague’s boob job.
Assistant Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe, 47, had mocked the other woman before exposing herself.
But though she avoided being sacked, Ms Sutcliffe was yesterday told at a hearing her reputation was “in tatters”.
It came after a disciplinary panel found her guilty of gross misconduct.
Ms Sutcliffe had told Supt Sarah Jackson her “credibility was zero” and that she would “always just be known as the girl who had the t*t job”.
She then pulled down the front of her dress to expose her left breast and said: “These are the breasts of someone who has had three children.
“They are ugly but I don’t feel the need to pump myself full of silicone to get self-esteem.”
Ms Sutcliffe, then Greater Manchester Police’s most senior female officer, launched into the rant after a gala dinner at a Senior Women in Policing conference at the Hilton hotel, Manchester, in May.
Ms Jackson said she was “shocked, mortified, embarrassed and ashamed” at her superior’s remarks. In December, a disciplinary panel said Ms Sutcliffe’s conduct had taken her to “the very precipice of dismissal”, but accepted it was out of character and recommended to GMP she be given a final written warning.
Though the force’s Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling yesterday ruled she could keep her job, he added: “I consider the behaviour of Assistant Chief Constable Sutcliffe to be absolutely appalling and not in any way acceptable. “Her reputation is now in tatters. She subjected Supt Jackson to prolonged aggressive bullying which was far more serious than the exposure of part of her anatomy.”
In a statement yesterday, Ms Sutcliffe repeated apologies to Ms Jackson and her colleagues, and expressed remorse for “letting the public down”. She added: “I deeply regret what happened and the impact it has had upon these people. I continue to feel very ashamed that I behaved in this way.
“At the time of the incident, I was under significant personal and professional pressure. I am very grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to return to work.”
The hearing, at GMP’s HQ, was told Ms Jackson has transferred to Cumbria Police.