Cambridgeshire police officer told ‘vulnerable’ teenage girl he would ask her out if he was younger

The former PC met the girl through his policing duties

A former Cambridgeshire police officer had an “inappropriate” relationship with a vulnerable teenage girl. A gross misconduct hearing was held on Tuesday, September 1, at Huntingdon police station for the former Cambridgeshire PC Neil Woodley, after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The IOPC found that between June 2022 and April 2023, Woodley had an “inappropriate personal relationship with a girl in a vulnerable position”. The former PC met the girl through his policing duties, and she was known to police because of her history of mental health difficulties.

Woodley attended to incidents involving her in his role as a response officer. After getting the girl’s contact details for a policing purpose, he used them to communicate with her in a personal capacity.

Messages exchanged before her 18th birthday used inappropriate terms. Woodley signed off messages with kisses, and also called her “hun”. He also wrote: “If I was 20 years younger, I would genuinely ask you out for a drink” and repeatedly offered her a “hug”.

The IOPC hearing also found that Woodley failed to discharge his duties and responsibilities by not taking appropriate safeguarding action after receiving messages from the girl in which she disclosed welfare issues.

He failed to seek support on her behalf or share information through appropriate channels on several occasions. His actions came to light in April 2023 after a friend of the girl raised concerns about the nature of her contact with Woodley.

The misconduct hearing found Woodley breached the police standards of professional behaviour relating to duties and responsibilities and discreditable conduct.

It concluded that he would have been dismissed if he was still serving as a police officer. The police barred list has also been updated to reflect the outcome of the hearing.

IOPC director of engagement Emily Barry said: “The public rightly expect police officers to maintain professional boundaries and safeguard vulnerable people they encounter through their duties.

“Former PC Woodley’s actions represented a serious breach of the standards expected of police officers. He developed an inappropriate personal relationship with a child in a vulnerable position that he met through his role and failed to take appropriate action when she disclosed serious welfare concerns.

“Officers hold positions of trust and must always act with integrity and professionalism. Where they fail to do so and abuse their position, they will be held to account.”

Following its investigation, Woodley was also sent to court and charged under section 170 of the Data Protection Act (2018) for knowingly or recklessly retaining personal data without consent. On April 4, 2025, he pleaded guilty at Cambridge Magistrates Court and was fined £957.

After his sentencing, in July 2025 he faced an accelerated misconduct hearing organised by the force. He was dismissed with immediate effect for discreditable conduct as a result of his criminal conviction.