A Greater Manchester Police officer has been sacked after he was convicted of stalking and harassment. The offences involved PC Gareth Walker's ex-wife and her new partner after their divorce in 2019, GMP's Chief Constable said as he chaired a misconduct hearing at force HQ.
PC Walker, who was based in Rochdale, appeared before the hearing to answer allegations of gross misconduct in that his conduct amounted to a breach of the standards of professional behaviour contrary to police regulations.
Outlining the case, Chief Con Stephen Watson said the officer separated from his wife of 16 years in September, 2019. The following year, she made a complaint to police about his behaviour and he was subsequently charged with two offences, namely stalking and harassment in relation to her and her new partner.
Chief Con Watson said in July last year, PC Walker appeared at Preston magistrates court and after a trial in which he denied the offences, he was convicted of both counts. The hearing was told he was jailed for 24 weeks, suspended for a year, and ordered to abide by the terms of a five-year restraining order. He appealed to the Crown Court, but Chief Con Watson said the appeal was subsequently dismissed this year.
In a new published ruling, he said: "The aggrieved parties in these matters were PC Walker's former wife and her new partner. POC Walker was sentenced to a suspended sentence totalling 24 weeks, eight weeks to run concurrently, and made subject of a restraining order for five years from the date of his conviction. He was ordered to pay costs of £1,150.
"Following an appeal against conviction to the Crown Court, which was dismissed, PC Walker's suspended prison sentence was increased to two years with the remaining elements of the sentence remaining.
Speaking on his behalf at the hearing, an officer said PC Walker - who held the collar number 16845 - accepted a breach of the standards of professional behaviour. He apologised through him.
The hearing was told PC Walker had a long association with the force as a special constable, then a PCSO then as a constable. Character references pointed to an officer who 'would go out of his way to help others' and was 'well respected' within the force. "He accepts and takes full responsibility for his actions," said his representative. "It occurred when he was going through the worst moments of his life."
The hearing was told PC Walker suffered from depression and anxiety and had been diagnosed with PTSD. In a tearful submission, he apologised and said: "There is a lot more to this story that has not been told. However I accept I have done wrong."
He said after the split he was left feeling 'scared, isolated and lonely' during the Covid-19 lockdown. "I have given my all to GMP," he said. His representative called for a final written warning to be administered.
But Chief Con Watson said after considering the case for an hour PC Walker accepted the convictions amounted to gross misconduct. He said PC Walker allowed 'powerful emotions to erode his judgement' and that his 'culpability must be high', adding that his conviction brought his 'professionalism into disrepute'.
Hearings, he added, were needed to 'sustain public confidence in the police' and he described the case as having a 'high level' of seriousness. "I do not dismiss the fact that clear evidence exists to support the proposition that PC Walker was, at the time of the index offence, suffering acutely in the aftermath of his marital breakdown," said Chief Con Watson.
"In PC Walker's own words, he got things badly wrong on the basis of the powerful emotions with which he was grappling at a difficult time for him and his family. PC Walker detailed knowledge of the law means that he should have known that the course of conduct upon which he had embarked was both unlawful and harmful to others.
The convictions, he added 'inevitably brings the profession into disrepute and damaged the trust that victims of similar conduct have a right to expect of their police in circumstances where officers are called upon to intervene'.
"I am compelled to conclude that PC Walker presents as an otherwise decent man and I feel sure that it would be quite unfair to bracket him lazily on the basis of a superficial grasp of these matters. Nonetheless PC Walker allowed powerful emotions to erode his judgement to the extent that he now stands convicted of criminal offences. I find that I am unable to reconcile the gravity of this misconduct with doing anything other than imposing a sanction that fully reflects the seriousness of these events."
PC Walker was subsequently dismissed from the force without notice.
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