Kent Police officer 'slapped colleague's bottom' over tea round

The misconduct panel is sitting at Kent Police headquarters in Maidstone

A police officer slapped a female colleague on the bottom while calling her a "naughty girl", a police misconduct panel has heard.

Det Insp Matt Banks is accused of hitting the detective constable while making a tea round at work in January.

Mr Banks denies gross misconduct but has accepted his actions amounted to misconduct.

The Kent Police officers were "long-time colleagues on friendly terms", the hearing was told.

'Hard slap'

Aaron Rathmell, representing Kent Police, said Mr Banks was making a round of tea and the woman - known in the hearing as 'DC' - was "inadvertently left out".

"There was banter between them as he did so," Mr Rathmell said.

"The atmosphere, the context of the exchange was good-humoured at that point."

The panel was told Mr Banks then walked over and slapped his colleague on the bottom, telling her words to the effect of "just leave it, you naughty girl. I'll do it".

The female officer told the hearing she "froze".

She said: "It was a hard slap. It was a slap on the bottom which was of force, loud enough to hear it, to feel it. It hurt and made me jump."

'Mortified, embarrassed, disappointed'

Nick Yeo, representing Mr Banks, suggested he had described DC as a "cheeky girl", rather than "naughty", but this was not accepted by her.

DC said the incident had impacted her trust and feeling of security at work.

She said: "This is 2020. This isn't the 1970s. I never would have expected that to happen to myself or anyone else."

Mr Banks is accused of gross misconduct by breaching the standards of professional behaviour of authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity, and discreditable conduct.

After DC had finished her evidence, Mr Yeo said on behalf of Mr Banks: "He wishes to apologise to you.

"He describes himself as being mortified, embarrassed and disappointed and he accepts that he has let you, himself, his family and Kent Police down."

The hearing at Kent Police headquarters in Maidstone continues.

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