Gross Misconduct Allegations Proven Against Former Officer

A former Sussex police officer accused of domestic abuse towards two women has had gross misconduct allegations proven against him at a disciplinary hearing.

The officer, who was granted anonymity by a Legally Qualified Chair independent from Sussex Police, would have been dismissed without notice had he not already resigned.

Superintendent Petra Lazar, Deputy Head of Professional Standards said:

"Though this case did not meet the threshold for criminal charges, it was important to persist with misconduct proceedings.

"Police-perpetrated violence will absolutely not be tolerated and we will continue to use all the resources and powers at our disposal to prevent, detect and deal with it robustly."

Following the force’s gross misconduct investigation, a hearing was held at Sussex Police Headquarters in Lewes in front of a panel led by an Independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC).  

LQCs are selected from a list of independent, legally-qualified persons to conduct police misconduct hearings, and are governed by Police Conduct Regulations. LQCs work with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and others to instil and embed as much transparency into misconduct hearings as possible and proportionate.

The former officer, referred to as Officer X, was granted anonymity by the LQC after making legal representations before the hearing. It is the responsibility of the LQC alone to determine whether or not a hearing is partially or wholly held in public or in private, and whether any participant should be anonymised. Sussex Police are directed by and must abide by rulings made by the panel chair.

The hearing, which concluded on Friday 10 March, heard that Officer X, while off-duty, committed violent, abusive, coercive and/or controlling behaviour towards two former partners, female A and female B.

As a result, he was alleged to have breached standards of professional behaviour in respect of Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Equality and Diversity, and Discreditable Conduct. The breaches were proven by the misconduct panel and it was determined that this amounted to gross misconduct. Officer X would have been dismissed without notice, had he not already resigned from the force.

The matter was criminally investigated and advice was sought from the Crown Prosecution Service, but it was considered the case did not meet the evidential threshold to prove the offences beyond all reasonable doubt. 

Supt Lazar added:

"We expect our officers to act with the utmost integrity, and in accordance with the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Professional Behaviour, and we have invested in a comprehensive programme of cultural change towards challenging, reporting and tackling unethical or unprofessional behaviour. Criminal behaviour, misconduct, and misogyny have no place in Sussex Police.

"The actions of this officer in this case fell far short of the standards we expect, which is reflected in the findings by the panel."