Hertfordshire police officer headbutted man in pub

The misconduct hearing took place at Hertfordshire Constabulary HQ, in Welwyn Garden City

A police officer who had been with his force for just 19 days resigned after drunkenly headbutting a man twice.

PC Jamie Woolf was "intoxicated" when the assault took place at The Drapers Arms in Stevenage on 4 August 2018.

A misconduct hearing at Hertfordshire Constabulary HQ found Woolf's behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.

Chief Constable Charlie Hall said the 22-year-old officer would have been dismissed without notice if he had not already quit.

Woolf was off-duty at the time of the pub attack, which left the victim with minor cuts to his nose.

He resigned two days later but was investigated criminally and issued with a police caution for battery.

'Too much drink'

Det Con Pete Rivers, the investigating officer, told the hearing that Woolf had been at the "very start of his initial training".

He said the officer - who was 21 at the time of the attack - did not have "full recall" of the incident but acknowledged his behaviour had been "unacceptable".

"It was simply a case of too much drink," he told the hearing.

Det Con Rivers stressed that the officer had "no street experience or contact with the public".

Mr Hall said Woolf's conduct "fell well short" of what is expected from a serving officer.

He added that his actions were a "poor reflection on the police service" and amounted to a "serious breach" of the Standards of Professional Behaviour.