Off-duty police officer assaulted man on night out

A misconduct hearing took place at Nottinghamshire Police's headquarters on Monday

An off-duty police officer who assaulted a man while he was drunk and on a night out would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned, a misconduct panel has ruled.

The former Nottinghamshire Police constable - who has not been named - threw punches and assaulted his victim in the early hours of 22 October 2023, outside a bar in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

He received a criminal caution for common assault and later resigned.

At a misconduct hearing at the force's headquarters on Monday, it was concluded that if he was still serving, he would have been "immediately dismissed".

The hearing was chaired by Leicestershire Police Temporary Chief Constable David Sandall, who ruled the ex-officer should be granted anonymity due to "significant mental health issues relating to his previous military background and service".

However, it was found the former officer's drunken state was the "primary factor" for his conduct and it was "not linked to his medical conditions".

'Appalling conduct'

The misconduct panel heard when the off-duty officer was arrested, he was "abusive and disrespectful" to his colleagues.

It was concluded that the former officer's conduct fell below the standards of professional behaviour and amounted to gross misconduct.

Nottinghamshire Police's deputy chief constable Rob Griffin apologised for the "trauma" caused to the victim.

He added: "The actions of this one individual has the potential to dent public trust and confidence in policing.

"I am therefore pleased he no longer works in our organisation and would also like to thank the officers who came forward and called out his appalling conduct."