Violent and abusive Sussex Police officer dismissed at hearing

The disgraced copper, who would have been sacked had he not quit already, was known as Officer X throughout the trial after he was given anonymity by the legally qualified chair (LGC) in charge of the hearing.

The case concluded last Friday and heard how Officer X had committed violent, abusive, coercive and/or controlling behaviour towards two former partners, female A and female B, while off-duty.

He was found to have broken standards of professional conduct by the misconduct panel at Sussex Police's headquarters in Lewes.

Superintendent Petra Lazar, deputy head of professional standards, said: "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.

READ MORE: Sussex Police chief Jo Shiner vows to root out misconduct in force

“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."

A police investigation into Officer X’s behaviour took advice from the Crown Prosecution Service which said the evidence did not meet the threshold needed to prove the offences beyond reasonable doubt, meaning he will not face a criminal trial.

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

"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."

LQCs are selected from a list of independent, legally-qualified people to conduct police misconduct hearings, and are governed by police conduct regulations.