PC had sexual relationship with woman after responding to domestic violence report
A police officer who had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a woman he met after responding to a report of domestic violence would have been dismissed if he had not already resigned, a disciplinary panel has ruled.
Former West Midlands Police constable Richard Bracey started contacting the woman in December 2020 and exchanged more than 100 messages in the space of 10 days before he switched to using his personal phone, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
Some of the messages were of a sexual nature and were sent while the officer was on duty, their investigation found.
A disciplinary panel, conducted by West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford on Wednesday, heard that former Pc Bracey and the woman had slept together on one occasion after they exchanged messages.
The IOPC started their investigation into the officer's actions in July 2021 after a referral from West Midlands Police and they decided the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct.
They analysed downloaded messages from his phone, interviewed the woman involved and took a statement from Pc Bracey's line manager during their investigation.
The disciplinary panel ruled that Pc Bracey would have been dismissed for abusing his position for sexual gain had he not already resigned last month.
He will also be added to the barred list preventing him from working for the police in future after he was found to have breached professional standards of behaviour for authority, respect and courtesy, discreditable conduct and duties and responsibilities.
IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: "Where an officer has used their position to pursue a sexual or improper emotional relationship with a member of the public, this represents an abuse of authority for sexual gain.
"Such conduct can cause substantial damage to public trust and confidence in the police and is particularly serious where the subject of the officer's behaviour is targeted towards a vulnerable person.
"That was an aggravating feature in this case and there is also evidence that Pc Bracey knew what he was doing was wrong and discussed that with the woman concerned.
"He confessed to his line manager when he became aware a complaint would be made but when we interviewed him, he refused to comment or provide a statement.
"The outcome of today's hearing serves to highlight that such behaviour will not be tolerated and has no place in policing."
