AN Essex Police officer has been found to have committed gross misconduct by acting inappropriately towards a woman at a social event.
The incident took place in Chelmsford in February 2022, whilst off-duty, and caused the woman to feel distressed.
PC Jonathan Mawson was suspended from duty whilst an investigation led by our Professional Standards Department was carried out.
That resulted in PC Mawson being charged with sexual assault by touching. He denied the charge and stood trial at Peterborough Crown Court on 11 July 2024, he was found not guilty of the offence.
At the conclusion of the trial, an internal misconduct investigation was launched.
It was alleged that PC Mawson’s actions breached four Standards of Professional Behaviour in the areas relating to: Authority, Respect & Courtesy; Honesty & Integrity; Discreditable Conduct; and Equality & Diversity.
A three-day misconduct hearing at Chelmsford Civic Centre began on Monday 12 May and was chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Lucy Morris. It found the case was proven as gross misconduct and the officer was dismissed.
ACC Morris said: “Firstly, I want to thank the witness in this case who bravely came forward and reported this behaviour. No one should ever have to be subjected to such inappropriate behaviour. It fell well below our standards of professional behaviour and what we expect of our workforce.
“It is disrespectful to treat anyone in this way and will not be accepted or tolerated by us. We continue to work hard to stamp out misogyny in all its forms and poor treatment of women and girls, both inside and outside of the force.
“It’s important to set the very highest of standards for all our officers, staff and volunteers and such poor behaviours can have a significant impact on the trust and confidence of the public in the police service.
“We will rightly and robustly deal with those who act inappropriately towards women in public and in private – and indeed within our force – and we would encourage people to be upstanders and not bystanders, by calling out poor behaviours at the earliest opportunity, or reporting them to our Professional Standards Department.
