Former police officer barred over 'inappropriate' relationship

Cumbria Constabulary referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct

A former police officer who carried out an inappropriate relationship with a crime victim and then lied about it has been barred from working in policing.

Former Cumbria Police PC David Henley repeatedly met the woman while on duty with one visit lasting almost three hours, an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found.

He failed to report the sexual relationship and lied to his sergeant about where he was when his police vehicle was spotted at her address.

He would have been sacked had he not resigned, the IOPC said.

PC Henley first met the woman in 2017 and a relationship between them developed in 2021.

For his visits to her home, no policing purpose was found for them, the IOPC said.

He told the investigator they were during his rest breaks but radio location data showed several lasted much longer than the breaks he was entitled to.

The IOPC also found evidence he searched for information about the woman on police systems without a valid reason.

While he said he was trying to find her contact details in order to return a missing item, phone data showed he contacted her 12 days earlier to ask her out for coffee.

The investigation also found PC Henley failed to report the relationship to supervisors, as required by force policy.

When his supervisor spotted his police vehicle near the woman’s address, he lied when asked where he was.

'Serious corruption'

Their investigation was started after a referral from Cumbria Police in August 2021.

The IOPC concluded PC Henley had a case to answer for gross misconduct for possible breaches of police standards relating to areas including discreditable conduct and honesty and integrity.

A misconduct hearing ended on 14 December and found he would have been dismissed if he had not resigned.

When police officers abuse their position for a sexual purpose it was a form of "serious corruption" and undermined public confidence, IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said.

"Our investigation, carried out independently of the police, has ensured former PC Henley will be unable to work in policing in future.

“There is absolutely no place in policing for his actions, which showed a complete lack of integrity or respect for the profession.”

The ruling means Henley cannot apply to be a police employee anywhere.