Ex-West Yorkshire Police officer 'abused position' over relationship - watchdog

The ex-officer first met the woman when he responded to a domestic incident while serving with Greater Manchester Police, the IOPC said

A former West Yorkshire Police officer "abused his position" by having a sexual relationship with a victim of domestic crime, a police watchdog said.

PC Craig Beazley met the woman when he responded to a domestic incident while serving with Greater Manchester Police.

Mr Beazley had "a case to answer for gross misconduct", the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

A misconduct hearing has ruled he would have been sacked had he not resigned after breaching professional standards.

The allegation came to light in April 2021 after Mr Beazley had moved to West Yorkshire Police, which referred it to the IOPC.

IOPC investigators said they interviewed him under criminal caution and he admitted having had a sexual relationship with the woman, which started before he joined the West Yorkshire force in 2017.

It began when he attended a domestic incident and the woman reported being a victim of crime.

An IOPC spokesman said: "We found evidence he abused his position as a police officer to form an inappropriate relationship with a woman he knew to be vulnerable and made efforts to keep their relationship a secret."

Mobile phone records were analysed as part of the investigation, the IOPC said.

After concluding its inquiry in October 2021, the IOPC referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided against bringing charges, the IOPC spokesperson said.

'Serious corruption'

At a misconduct hearing held by West Yorkshire Police, which finished on Tuesday, a panel found Mr Beazley had breached a number of professional behavioural standards of behaviour.

Those standards included authority; respect and courtesy; honesty and integrity; duties and responsibilities; and discreditable conduct, the IOPC said.

IOPC regional director Thea Walton said Mr Beazley's behaviour was "reckless and selfish".

"Abuse of position for a sexual purpose is serious corruption and has absolutely no place in policing," she said.

"PC Beazley knew what he was doing was wrong and tried to hide it.

"He took advantage of a woman he knew to be vulnerable and, in doing so, damaged her trust in the police."

He would have been dismissed without notice had he not already resigned and was barred from working in policing in future, the IOPC said.