A police officer has been fired for gross misconduct after he rubbed his face against a woman’s chest on a nightclub dance floor.
A disciplinary hearing was announced regarding the actions of PC James Pentland at a Newcastle in September 2021 is often referred to as “driving a motorboat” and when the woman slapped him, he put his arm around her back.
In its ruling, the council said the incident “helps to maintain a general public perception of the inappropriate views and actions of police officers”.
Northumbria police said the woman, known as Ms A, flirted with him and told him she wanted to have sex with him – which she denies.
Miss A agreed that she took off her shirt when a particular song was played and waved it over her head, revealing a black sports bra.
In a written synopsis of the case, Ms A said “he grabbed her breasts and pressed his face between them, an act known as motorboating”.
But the officer claimed that he placed his hand in front of her in “jazz style” and mimicked touching her breasts when he was trying to be funny in front of a group of people.
Ms. A then told her boyfriend about what had happened and the police got involved.
The jury found that there was no reason for Ms. A to fabricate the allegation.
They also discovered that the act was not of a sexual or malicious nature, but that he intended it to be a joke, an act they deemed “completely inappropriate behaviour”.
In its ruling, the panel said: “Currently, the local and national publics are very concerned about the attitudes of police officers towards women.
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“There have been many reported cases of officers abusing women.
“This particular case is different in nature from some of the most famous cases but it is intended solely to maintain public awareness of the inappropriate views and actions of police officers.”
The panel found it to be serious misconduct, and although PC Pentland was “extremely taken seriously” by colleagues, friends and family, the only appropriate outcome was dismissal without notice. .
