A police constable has been dismissed following a Police Ombudsman investigation that uncovered a series of misconducts, including failing to disclose conflicts of interest, intimidating a former partner, and attempting to falsify evidence. The constable also allegedly asked a colleague to lie during the investigation.
The case originated in 2018 with an assault allegation made by one woman against another. The constable investigating the incident, identified as Police Officer A, requested a colleague, Police Officer B, to take a statement from the complainant, Woman B. However, Police Officer B did not disclose his prior sexual relationship with Woman A in 2016 and his continued social contact with her.
Within 24 hours of meeting Woman B to take her statement, Police Officer B initiated contact with her via social media and subsequently began a sexual relationship. The two later lived together and had a child before their relationship ended in early 2020.
The investigation also encompassed a 2021 incident where another woman, who had previously been in a relationship with Police Officer B, reported receiving a threatening, anonymous letter. This occurred shortly after Police Officer B was made aware of an investigation into his conduct with vulnerable women.
The letter contained an intimate photograph of the woman and threatened to send more explicit images to her family. The woman stated that the only person she had shared the photograph with was her former partner, Police Officer B. Two weeks prior to receiving the letter, she had also received a phone notification indicating that he had downloaded all the images she had shared with him.
A subsequent examination of the constable's phone revealed 51 images of the woman, including intimate photos matching the one sent anonymously. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) held a misconduct hearing in April, at which the officer was dismissed without notice.
The panel determined that the officer had misconducted himself by violating the PSNI Code of Ethics. This dismissal marked the seventh officer sacked as a result of Police Ombudsman investigations in the PSNI since 2020. Another police officer involved in a separate case received a written final warning.