A former Avon and Somerset Police sergeant has been barred from working in policing again after a misconduct panel found he behaved in a discriminatory and inappropriate manner while off duty.
Former Sgt Edward Ryan was the subject of a two-day misconduct hearing which began on Monday, November 2, at police headquarters in Portishead, north Somerset.
The hearing was told that Ryan made a transphobic comment during a discussion about a television show while attending a team social event in Bristol in April 2024.
At the same event, he also made multiple inappropriate sexualised comments and gestures relating to a woman he knew outside of work.
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According to Avon and Somerset Police, the comments were made in public and in front of colleagues. Those colleagues reported what had happened to the force's Professional Standards Department within 48 hours.
The misconduct hearing, chaired by former Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden, concluded the allegations that Ryan breached the standards of professional behaviour were proven and amounted to gross misconduct.
The panel ruled that Ryan would have been dismissed without notice had he still been serving with the force. He had retired in August 2024.
As a result of the hearing, the former sergeant has been barred from working in policing again.
A/Det Supt Will Thorpe, from the Professional Standards Department, said: “Sgt Ryan’s inappropriate behaviour and comments understandably shocked and appalled the police colleagues who were with him at the time.
“Those other officers did the right thing in reporting what had happened. Their concerns have been treated seriously and have paved the way for us to taking action against this former officer.
“The public, rightly, expect officers to hold the highest standards of professionalism. This expectation applies equally to a person being on-duty, as well as off-duty.
“Sgt Ryan’s conduct will inevitably negatively impact the public’s confidence in policing.
“We hope the positive action taken by colleagues to report what happened, and the decision to prohibit him from working within law enforcement in future, sends a powerful message that there is no place in policing for anyone who displays discriminatory behaviour.”
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