Brogan Canning touched a colleague’s leg, lunging in for a kiss and telling him: “You know you want to.”
A misconduct hearing has heard how a female police officer touched a colleague’s leg, lunging in for a kiss and telling him: “You know you want to.” North Yorkshire police said the Brogan Canning would have been sacked if she hadn’t left the force.
The mum has now been barred from serving with a UK police force again. The hearing was told the senior officer Canning set her sights on was left feeling “angry and embarrassed” with her actions while they were on a night out.
The Mirror reports how rebuffed her advances, but afterwards she asked him bluntly: “Do you think I’m fit?” The panel heard four allegations that Canning had attempted to kiss PC A, who was her senior, and even grabbed him by the neck to pull him towards her.
One witness, Nathan Mills, described watching her “stroking the hand” of the male officer, who later told him she’d actually been stroking his leg. Another witness, PC Megan Smith, said Canning was “acting oddly throughout the night” before she put her in a taxi home.
PC A told the hearing he “had expected more professional behaviour” from Canning, who quit the force after an investigation was launched. In her own evidence, Canning described her behaviour as “out-of-character.”
A written statement said: “Notwithstanding her lack of memory, the officer did not dispute the allegations. She had been good friends with (the male officer) previously and did not provide any reason to doubt his honesty or assertions.
“She had drunk a significant amount of alcohol, which had impaired her judgment on the night and her subsequent recollection of events. She was remorseful from the outset and has extended her personal apologies to him.”
Canning also suggested there may have been “some inconsistencies” in the witness statements. But the panel found statements from PC A and colleagues PC Nathan Mills, PC Megan Smith and PS Ryan Lyth to be credible.
They ruled her actions equated to gross misconduct after Canning carried out an “unwanted sexual approach” towards PC A. The panel said her behaviour was “victimising and offensive” and “therefore a breach of the standard.”
Assistant chief officer Sarah Jackson, who chaired the virtual hearing, said her behaviour could have an impact on “public confidence” in the police. She added: “This matter concerns multiple breaches of the standards and clearly could have an impact on public confidence in policing and the reputation of the police service.
“We therefore have concluded that the most appropriate outcome is a finding that the officer would have been dismissed had they still been a member of the police force… and that this sanction does fulfil the purpose of the misconduct regime.
“We do not that before these matters, the former officer was of good character and did show remorse for their actions… however, this record would not allow us to impose a lesser outcome, given the serious nature of our findings.”
