AN Avon and Somerset Police officer is accused of pursuing "an improper or sexual relationship" with a vulnerable woman.
PC Jonny Wall visited the woman, who had recently come out of a relationship, in the course of his duties, a misconduct hearing will be told next Wednesday (October 28).
He is alleged to have "behaved inappropriately towards her in that he failed to notify the appropriate policing systems of his contact with her and that he engaged in further contact with her via personal, as opposed to policing, mechanisms".
He is accused of showing a lack of honesty and integrity by:
- Demonstrating favouritism and partiality in an ongoing criminal investigation to the suspect;
- Encouraging and facilitating a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation concerning allegations of harassment to contact the victim, such contact potentially amounting to part of a course of conduct, contrary to the words of advice administered to her by police officers, including himself;
- Failing to report on police systems or otherwise any welfare concerns for the complainant, and otherwise failing to take any formal safeguarding steps, prior to 25 December 2019.
A statement to the hearing says: "He inappropriately contacted and/or sought to pursue an improper emotional or sexual relationship with the complainant, a person with whom you came into contact in the course of your duties and whom he knew or ought to have known was a vulnerable person."
His actions, it is claimed, were:
- For the purpose of pursuing a sexual relationship;
- Inappropriate;
- An abuse of his position of authority in respect of a suspect in a criminal allegation;
- Created an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
PC Wall is alleged to have failed to his contact with the complainant between December 16 and 20 on any police system.
He is also accused of retaining the personal contact information of the claimant, a suspect of crime, on his personal Instagram account.
If proven, PC Wall's conduct would amount to gross 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 The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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