Following the publication of a Police Ombudsman Office for Northern Ireland report today, the Head of Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Professional Standards, Chief Superintendent Stephen Wright, said: “The officer's conduct in this case was completely abhorrent and a blatant contravention of the Code of Ethics. He was rightly dismissed from the Police Service in 2022, following a formal misconduct investigation and hearing. 

“As a police officer, he was trusted with helping a woman whom he knew to be vulnerable. Instead of protecting her, he used his authority to take advantage of her.

“This was an appalling and despicable breach of trust and, as our panel found, amounted to gross misconduct. Such actions fall far short of the standards expected of police officers, and will not be tolerated by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”