Police sergeant Richard Jones was dismissed with out discover after a misconduct listening to discovered he positioned his fingers round a lady’s throat.
A police sergeant was dismissed after he was discovered to have positioned his fingers round a lady’s throat and made an especially inappropriate sexual comment following a day of ingesting in Swansea on St Patrick’s Day.
South Wales Police sergeant Richard Jones denied the allegations, however a misconduct listening to upheld the claims and decided that Jones’ behaviour constituted gross misconduct. The listening to was knowledgeable that Jones had been ingesting with a number of different officers in Swansea for about 5 hours when the incident occurred, inflicting substantial “psychological hurt” to the girl concerned.
Jones was sacked with out discover because of the “violent nature” and “seriousness” of his actions. The listening to heard that Jones and a number of other officers had gathered in Swansea for a day and night time out whereas off responsibility on 17 March 2023.
Jones had drunk three pints of Guinness at two totally different venues earlier within the afternoon earlier than the group went to Turtle Bay for a bottomless brunch the place extra alcohol was consumed.
The group then moved to bars on Wind Avenue, the place they had been joined by one other officer and her buddy, referred to all through the listening to as Ms A. Jones and Ms A had not met previous to that day, reviews Wales On-line.
Throughout the night, a dialog happened between Jones and Ms A, throughout which Ms A revealed particulars about her intercourse life together with her husband. Later at The Perch venue on Wind Avenue, Jones approached Ms A when she was separated from the group.
The panel was knowledgeable that it was at this juncture that the sergeant wrapped his fingers round her neck and utilized stress earlier than uttering: “I’ll take you outdoors and f*** you actually arduous and choke you till you c**”, or phrases to that impact.
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The misconduct panel concluded these actions had been “undesirable and uninvited on the a part of Ms A”. Ms A initially saved quiet concerning the incident to her buddy because of worries about potential office points. Jones’ actions got here to mild when Ms A confided in her brother-in-law, a police officer, concerning the incident a while after the occasion.
Ms A’s brother-in-law knowledgeable her that he would wish to report the matter, with the girl expressing some annoyance at this proposed plan of action as she didn’t wish to trigger issues for her buddy – the officer she arrived with.
The misconduct panel discovered the allegations confirmed and concluded the sergeant’s actions constituted gross misconduct. It said that “the officer’s violent behaviour was sexually motivated”.
The listening to additionally highlighted a number of components which meant the officer had “excessive culpability” for his actions – together with the numerous impression Jones’ actions may have on public belief in policing and his abuse of his place of belief and authority.
The panel additionally decided that the hurt inflicted by his conduct was “excessive”, highlighting the psychological trauma suffered by the sufferer, who required day without work work and sought counselling help. The amount of alcohol he had consumed that day was recognized as an aggravating consider his behaviour.
In evaluating his actions, the panel concluded that it “didn’t really feel that something lower than dismissal with out discover fitted the seriousness of the incident in query.”
Jones was consequently dismissed from the drive with out discover. A report will even be submitted to the School of Policing to position Jones’ title on the policing barred listing.
