PC sent restraint video to friends, says panel
Former police constable Charlotte Nelson would have been struck-off if she had not already left the force, the misconduct panel ruled
- Published
A police constable sent a video of an "extremely vulnerable" young adult being restrained in hospital to her friends, a misconduct panel has ruled.
Suffolk Police said Charlotte Nelson shared sensitive information in a WhatsApp group "for her own amusement".
Assistant Chief Constable Nick Davison said she would have been sacked without notice had she not already resigned.
Nelson, from Worlingham near Lowestoft, admitted her actions amounted to gross misconduct and she was truly sorry for how it "portrayed" Suffolk Police, the force said.
Nelson is also expected to be sentenced for the offences at Ipswich Crown Court in May
In his findings, Mr Davison said Nelson's behaviour, external spanned between January 2022 and August 2023.
She shared details of arrests with friends and associates and used internal police systems "without a legitimate policing purpose", he said.
He explained that elements of her offending were targeted at vulnerable members of the public and people who were known to her.
Nelson used her own phone to record bodycam footage showing the "extremely vulnerable young adult" being restrained in hospital before sharing it.
"The public has an absolute right to expect officers to treat information in the strictest confidence and use it only for legitimate policing purposes," said Mr Davison.
"Miss Nelson, with her behaviour, ran a coach and horses through those public expectations and legal requirements placed upon her as a police officer.
"She did so for no other reason than her own amusement and to share with her friends and associates."
She acknowledged she should not have shared the material with friends, Mr Davison said.
Separately, Nelson has previously admitted misconduct in a public office and Data Protection Act offences at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court and Ipswich Crown Court.
She is due to be sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court in May.
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