An ex-officer who said a domestic abuse victim ‘should have been a better wife’ as part of a string of offensive and sexual comments towards women will face a Thames Valley Police misconduct hearing.
The former PC Kennedy Lungu allegedly called a football player acquitted of rape his ‘hero’ and suggested he would ‘rape’ his colleague if she wouldn’t hurry up.
A string of alleged misconduct took place during his training in Sulhamstead, West Berkshire, between March and August 2023.
During this period Mr Lungu displayed a ‘pattern of behaviour’ of making ‘inappropriate and/or distasteful comments in the context of sexual and violent offences against women’.
On one occasion, Mr Lungu watched a video about the domestic abuse of a woman by her partner and made a comment ‘to the effect that the woman in question deserved it’.
He suggested that the victim ‘should have been a better wife’, a comment which was heard by other officers.
On August 14, 2023, the ex-PC allegedly said ‘look at the gash on that’ while commenting on a photograph – using crude slang for a woman’s vagina.
The same day, Mr Lungu allegedly used words to the effect of ‘I’ll rape you’ towards a colleague during a discussion about what he would do if she did not hurry up.
The ex-PC further suggested he would obtain the details of female victims for the purpose of ‘hitting on them’ and suggested that during sex, ‘no does not really mean no’.
During a conversation over a footballer acquitted of rape – who has not been named – Mr Lungu described the individual as his ‘hero’ and put an image of him as his screensaver.
His conduct has been accused of creating an ‘offensive working environment’ for colleagues, particularly female, who frequently witnessed his comments and behaviour.
Evidence taken together amounts to gross misconduct serious enough to justify dismissal, but Mr Lungu has already left the force.
His behaviour could amount to undermining public confidence in the police, abusing powers as a member of the authority and not acting with fairness and impartiality.
A tribunal over his conduct will take place on October 28 at 10am and is scheduled to last two days.
It will take place at the Thames Valley Police Headquarters in Kidlington before chairperson Mr Gregor McGill.
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