Pc punched man in the face, then lied about it

A POLICE officer hit a man in the face and then lied to her colleagues about it, an internal misconduct hearing has ruled.

The constable committed the act of violence when she was off duty in December 2019.

She resigned from the Leicestershire force before it was able to bring the matter to a misconduct hearing.

The hearing took place over three days this month, and concluded she was guilty of gross misconduct and would have been dismissed immediately had she still been serving.

The hearing took place in private and the chairman of the panel, who is legally qualified but independent of the police, ruled she could not be named by the media.

In a statement, the force said: “It was found that the former officer’s off-duty conduct on December 14, 2019, breached the standards of professional behaviour, namely discreditable conduct and honesty and integrity.

“The hearing found it proven that the former officer deliberately struck a man to the face without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, causing an injury to his nose.

“They also found it proven that when a force call handler spoke to the former officer about the incident on the same evening, the former officer deliberately misled the call handler when asked about if anything had happened or why the police may have been called.

“The panel determined, had the officer still been serving in the force, she would have been dismissed with immediate effect.”

In response to questions from the Mercury, the force said: “The allegation involving the officer was fully investigated and a file sent to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service).

“The CPS determined that there was no realistic prospect of conviction and therefore no further action was taken in relation to criminal proceedings.”

Detective Superintendent Rich Ward, head of the force’s professional standards department, said: “The public and the force expect all our officers and staff to uphold the highest and most professional standards of behaviour, both on and off duty.

“The actions of the officer fell below this standard of behaviour expected and it was therefore determined misconduct proceedings should take place.

“The panel in the misconduct hearing found gross misconduct had been committed.”

Theresa May opened the police misconduct process to the press and public in 2014, when she was Home Secretary.

However, the regulations allow for the hearings to be held in private in certain circumstances, including those case which relate to national security or where criminal proceedings are still to take place or an ongoing investigation may be compromised.

In this case, the Mercury asked why we would not be allowed to attend the hearing.

The force said: “The independent legally qualified chairman, Delroy Henry, has considered the facts of the case and determined the hearing should be held in private and that anonymity of the officer will be granted.

“This decision has been made due to concerns raised in relation to the officer involved and the potential impact if the hearing was held in public.

“It has been determined, in line with Police (Conduct) Regulations 2012, that the particular circumstances of the case outweigh the public interest in holding the hearing in public.”

QUIT THE FORCE – BUT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED