A Thames Valley Police officer has admitted inappropriately touching a PC and using derogatory language toward a second female officer at a social gathering in a Reading establishment, a report said.
Alexander Bavington’s behaviour, which included making an offensive comment about a third officer’s same-sex intimacy, came after he got drunk and told members of the public his group were employed by Thames Valley Police, according to a misconduct hearing's Notice of Outcome.
He admitted gross misconduct and was handed a final written warning for a period of two years at the misconduct hearing on November 3.
READ MORE: Queues as lingerie store opens its doors in Reading shopping centre for first time
PC Bavington (4951) and his colleagues were off-duty on May 11 when he called a female officer ‘kurwa’, an offensive derogatory term for women in Polish, the report read.
It stated he inappropriately touched another female police constable in a manner that made her feel uncomfortable.
Talking to a third PC, who he knew to be in a same-sex relationship, Bavington said: “So do you like it up the **** then?”
His "rude and offensive" behaviour continued despite being spoken to about his conduct, according to the report.
READ MORE: Man denies murder after death at train station
Bavington made a full admission on the basis he was so drunk he had no memory of events and accepted what his colleagues alleged.
The misconduct hearing heard how his behavior caused upset to his colleagues and, even if members of the public had not been aware, it “created a real risk of bringing discredit on the police force.”
In deciding to give a warning, the hearing took into consideration mitigating factors.
According to a Notice of Outcome, Bavington was “suffering from stress”; showed “genuine remorse”; his behaviour stemmed from his decision “to drink to excess”; and he has since undertaken courses on equality and diversity.
The notice read: “We also considered his record of achievements to date, the references provided which were very positive about someone young in service and his professionalism before and since the incident.
“We therefore decided that the least serious outcome that we could impose is that of a Final Written warning for a period of two years.”
The purpose of disciplinary hearings is to protect public confidence in policing, demonstrating to officers that misconduct will not be tolerated, and protecting the public, officers and staff by preventing guilty parties from repeating misconduct.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article