Legal News

A police officer based at Mansfield in Nottinghamshire has received a final written warning after a misconduct hearing.

The gross misconduct hearing held at Force Headquarters on Thursday (07/16) found that PC Andrew Tideswell, 38, had breached professional standards.

The misconduct occurred between August 2013 and July 2015 and related to personal messages sent to an intimate partner involving a catalogue of comments made about victims of crime and colleagues.

PC Tideswell was found to have made derogatory personal remarks about a victim of domestic violence – and inappropriate remarks regarding a police investigation and an agency involved in the charging process, as well as making derogatory and sexually inappropriate remarks about a young victim of a sexual offence. He also failed to challenge and/or report inappropriate conduct by a police officer.

His messages also included an inappropriate and homophobic remark about a murder victim, derogatory remarks about a woman detained by police with whom he had professional dealings – and messages sent to a fellow officer in which he used an offensive, racist term for a member of the Traveller community.

PC Tideswell also made an inappropriate and homophobic remark about a victim of historic sexual abuse and failed to challenge or report a fellow officer who sent an image – and used a derogatory and sexually inappropriate term about an individual concerned in a police investigation.

He also sent an inappropriate message to a fellow officer, in the course of which he used derogatory and racist terminology – and used seriously inappropriate language to describe an allegation of sexual offences against a minor, as well as using insulting and homophobic remarks about a person he had dealt with as a police officer.

The hearing found five further allegations about remarks and messages sent not proven.

A spokesman for the panel said:

“Members of the public have a right to expect police officers to respect them, whether to their face or behind their back – and the comments made in this case are extremely distasteful, grossly disrespectful, and absolutely unacceptable.

“They were private, but if they were made in public or in any other arena – whether social media, said in a police station or vehicle – there is no doubt dismissal would have followed.

“The panel do accept that there is unlikely to be a repetition of this behaviour by the officer and that his intent was not to cause harm.

“Based on this fine balance of arguments, we concluded that the good and potential for future good just – by the most slender of margins – outweighs the bad.

"We are therefore prepared to give PC Tideswell the opportunity to demonstrate that he can serve the public.

“The final written warning will stand for 18 months and is the most serious outcome, short of dismissal.”


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