Rushden: Police officer resigns ahead of misconduct hearing

PC Karen Canwell faces a gross misconduct charge

A Northamptonshire Police convicted of assaulting a pub bouncer would have been fired had she not resigned, a disciplinary hearing concluded.

Former PC Karen Canwell attacked the bouncer after she was kicked out of a Rushden pub in December 2021.

She had denied the charges but was convicted by magistrates in November and subsequently fined £1,609.

The disciplinary panel heard she resigned from the force earlier this week.

The force's temporary Chief Constable, Paul Gibson, said Ms Canwell's behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and fell "significantly below" what members of the public would expect from police officers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service heard.

During a hearing at police headquarters at Wootton Hall, the panel was told Ms Canwell labelled the bouncer "a convicted rapist" and said he was "racist".

The former PC, who was nominated for a national bravery award in 2019, "persistently failed" to leave the pub after being asked, Fiona Brooks - representing the force - said.

'Unacceptable'

Ms Canwell, who was off duty at the time, was removed by the bouncer with "reasonable force", but she hit him around the back of his head, the panel heard.

The pub was closed and she kicked at its doors, before confronting the bouncer, pushing him in the chest and punching him in the face.

Dr Gibson told the hearing that Ms Canwell continued to deny the assault "despite considerable evidence to the contrary".

"It is unacceptable for officers responsible for upholding the law to break the law," he said.

The hearing was told she had called 999 to report the bouncer, who she claimed did not show his identification. A call handler was reported to have told her to remove herself from the situation and leave.

Police Federation representative, Alan McMahon, said he understood Ms Canwell handed in her notice ahead of the misconduct hearing.

It also heard she had sought to appeal her conviction from the magistrates' court but did not do so within the statutory time frame - so will need to appeal to the crown court.