Essex PC sacked for French Foreign Legion lies

PC Kasra Rafeian has been sacked after lying in his interview to join Essex Police

A police officer has been sacked for lying about his service in the French Foreign Legion in his application.

PC Kasra Rafeian denied lying in his Essex Police interview, inventing a reference and disguising his handwriting from officers.

But a misconduct hearing, held at Chelmsford Civic Centre, found his behaviour was gross misconduct and ordered his dismissal.

The panel said PC Rafeian's police career had been "based upon a lie".

Det Supt Dean Chapple, head of Essex Police professional standards department, said the officer had been suspended while investigations had taken place.

He said: "When interviewed by officers from the Professional Standards department he gave an account and handwriting samples which the panel found to be a lie and an attempt to frustrate that investigation.

"His attempts to fool the investigators failed and the panel also found his account during the hearing this week to be implausible and not credible.

"Had Kasra Rafeian been allowed to continue as a police officer, his entire career would have been based upon a lie."

Stephen Morley, acting for Essex Police, told the misconduct hearing there was no dispute PC Rafeian had been a recruit in the legion between September 2015 and January 2016 but he had lied about finishing his training and his reasons for leaving.

PC Rafeian, who applied to join the force in April 2017, denied all the allegations but was found to have breached police standards for honesty and integrity.