We can’t name policeman who watched porn on duty
Sacked officer remains anonymous so his children aren’t teased
A senior Kent police officer has been sacked after spending hours watching porn while on duty, but we can’t name him.
‘Officer A’ was afforded complete anonymity by a force misconduct panel who said the offences were highly embarrassing and would potentially result in his two children being teased at school.
The three-man misconduct panel sitting at Kent Police’s Sutton Road headquarters also prohibited any publication of the officer’s rank.
Between October 2015 and July the officer, who worked in west Kent, accessed pornographic material more than 2,000 times, on many occasions from a shared office and searched for terms including “huge boobs”, “diora baird nude” and “michaela tabb hot”.
The sites included a swinging website and one hosting pornographic videos. Accessing them had no policing purpose. Diora Baird is an American actress while Michaela Tabb is a Scottish snooker and pool referee.
The officer, who earned £41,000 a year, did not go to the hearing but made full admissions to 19 allegations. He was previously issued with formal written advice in 2008 following similar offences.
The panel was told he also went on social media and sports sites, watched football, sent personal emails and printed off material while on duty.
It was said Officer A’s activities would have taken “a significant period of time both on and off duty” and “would have distracted him from his duties”. The panel ruled his actions breached four policy clauses and therefore amounted to gross misconduct.
Clare Harrington, chairman of the hearing, said: “The panel is particularly concerned by this matter.
“Officer A received a formal written warning in 2008 and would have been acutely aware his behaviour was not acceptable.
“This is a serious case of repeated and lengthy inappropriate computer usage. We are simply unable to reconcile this gross misconduct with the officer’s continued service and we dismiss him without notice.”