A serving Metropolitan Police officer who escaped criminal charges has been dismissed for sexual activity with a runaway 15-year-old child he groomed on the gay dating app Grindr.
Officer A breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct, honesty and integrity,
A misconduct hearing found a number of allegations proven at the level of gross misconduct.
The male officer - attached to a command unit covering Barking, Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge in an LGBT role - was subject to a serious sexual assault claim in September 2019.
A month earlier, Officer A made contact with Child A on social media and arranged to meet them.
They engaged in sexual activity with the youngster on various dates between August 16 and 27.
The hearing also found that on August 26, Officer A allowed Child A, a runaway, to stay at his home having met up at a McDonald’s restaurant without alerting police or social services.
The following day, the officer asked the child - as a ‘missing person’ - to attend Romford police station and then ask for him, but not mention their relationship.
Officer A did not make any formal police record that the young person had been found. Officer A then took Child A to social services.
A full criminal investigation was launched by colleagues, supported by specialist officers who are trained in sexual offences investigation. Officer A was suspended from duty and later arrested.
A file on the case was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. But after reviewing all the evidence, lawyers decided it did not meet the full test code for a criminal prosecution.
This decision was challenged by way of the Victim’s Right of Review process, but was not successful.
However, detectives from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards continued the misconduct investigation and considered there was a case to answer. The matter was then referred for a full misconduct hearing.
After hearing all the evidence the panel, led by an independent legally qualified chair, determined that Officer A should be dismissed without notice.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, of the East Area Command Unit, said: “This officer betrayed their role as a police officer and their oath to uphold the law by exploiting and abusing a child, who was below the age of consent.
“I want to make it clear there is absolutely no place for officers like this in the Met. We are determined to root out officers who are not fit to wear the uniform and serve the public.”
Officer A will now be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing of those who cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies, the Independent Office for Police Conduct or Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
