A former Greater Manchester Police constable who was convicted of offering to deal steroids would have been sacked had he not already resigned, the force's chief of police has ruled.
Aaron Jones' name is now due to be added to the College of Policing's 'Barred List', said GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson, after a misconduct hearing the ex-cop did not attend. Chief Constable Watson said Jones' offences 'supports the damaging knowledge that he was recklessly engaged in the supply of steroids which are known to be very harmful to the individuals foolish enough to use them'.
Jones, who was 36 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of offering to supply class C drugs when he appeared in court in Liverpool. It followed an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which said it found he offered to supply steroids in January 2019 contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
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Jones appeared at Liverpool magistrates court in June this year and was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with 80 hours of unpaid work.
The IOPC said analysis of a mobile phone belonging to the former PC, who resigned from the force in November, 2019, uncovered WhatsApp messages which appeared to show the officer discussing steroids. One exchange showed a message from Jones' number saying 'did I hear someone say juice...' along with a photo of a drawer of what appeared to be steroids.
In other messages, PC Jones said he had two different types of steroids and offered advice on using them. He also contacted another person on WhatsApp to seek advice about the potential side effects of someone else using steroids.
The allegations that the former officer offered to supply class C drugs came to light as part of evidence gathered for a separate IOPC investigation, it added.
Chief Constable Watson, in his now published ruling, found allegations of 'various breaches of the standards of professional behaviour' proven and said they amounted to 'gross misconduct'. His culpability, he said, 'must be regarded as high' as his 'actions were deliberate, repeated and carried out in the full knowledge that his conduct was patently unlawful'.
Jones' conviction, he added, 'brings the profession into disrepute and undoubtedly damages the trust that the public have a right to expect of their police'.
Chief Constable Watson said Jones' 'offending behaviour was quite obviously well beyond anything that can be tolerated in the service' and said his conduct had 'rightly given rise to the ruination of his career and the loss of his reputation'. "Mr Jones has conclusively demonstrated his being totally unworthy to carry out the duties that the public entrusted to him," he added in the judgement.
"The gravity of the misconduct demands a sanction that fully reflects the seriousness of these matters. For this reason, I have determined that had former PC Jones not already resigned, I would have dismissed him from the service without notice."
He ordered Jones's name to be added to the College of Policing's Barred List.
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