Cheshire detective who pursued female abuse victim barred

The former Cheshire Police detective resigned before the hearing and did not attend

A former detective inspector who pursued a female domestic violence victim and then told "disturbing" lies has been barred from policing.

Martin Campbell, 40, told the woman he was a member of the traveller community who had seen his father murder his mother, a police report found.

The former Cheshire Police officer was accused of gross misconduct but resigned before his hearing date.

The disciplinary hearing went ahead in his absence on 11 January.

The force said he had breached standards of professional behaviour and was guilty of misconduct - and would have been dismissed had he still been a serving officer.

He has now been added to the College of Policing Barred List, meaning he will prevented from working in law enforcement.

The force said he abused his position of trust by forming an inappropriate emotional relationship with a vulnerable victim of domestic abuse who he met in the course of his duties.

'Record of deceit'

Det Insp Campbell had denied the accusation but Chief Constable Mark Roberts criticised him for his "insidious track record of deceit" as he struck him off.

The misconduct hearing was told the detective met the woman in 2016.

Despite denying wanting an intimate relationship, he then told her: "I love you too" as well as "I've wanted to for ages", the report found.

He also told her "I knew you liked me and I liked you", the misconduct hearing was told.

Det Insp Campbell also falsely told her he was a Royal Marine and a single parent who had lost a child, the panel was told.

Mr Roberts said: "None of these assertions are true but taken together with his status as a police officer, combined to deceive people into trusting him."

He said Det Insp Campbell breached professional standards in his "inappropriate emotional relationship" with a woman "whom he knew to be an extremely vulnerable victim of domestic abuse".

Det Insp Campbell maintained his innocence and said in a statement: "I do not accept I engaged with the family in a professional capacity beyond my meeting with them in 2016."

But Mr Roberts said this was "wholly unconvincing".

Supt Simon Parsonage, head of the force's professional standards department, said: "I welcome the outcome of this hearing, which shows that we treat all allegations we receive extremely seriously.

"We will not tolerate such breaches in standards. It is essential that the people we serve have both confidence and trust in the service we deliver."

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