Police officers sacked over ‘despicable’ recordings of vulnerable people

Police officers sacked over ‘despicable’ recordings of vulnerable people Two police officers have been sacked following an inquiry into their conduct - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A police officer in Northern Ireland who filmed a woman with learning difficulties in bed while making sexualised remarks has been dismissed from his post. A second officer who appeared in the footage has also been sacked. Police Ombudsman Jacqui Durkin characterised the conduct of the two former Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers toward vulnerable individuals they had been sent to help as "utterly despicable". PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton labelled the actions of the two officers as "horrifying". An ombudsman inquiry revealed that Police Officer A filmed videos and took photos of individuals who had asked for police help, reported crimes, were intoxicated, or were deemed at risk of self-harm. The images and recordings were captured inside people’s residences, in hospitals, and within police vehicles, Ms Durkin stated. A number were shared via WhatsApp, including with a member of the public, frequently accompanied by derogatory and sexualised commentary. The ombudsman indicated that 18 individuals were identified as having been referenced in recordings, messages, and photographs located on personal mobile phones belonging to Officer A between 2016 and 2021. The second officer, Police Officer B, took photos of two vulnerable women and passed them to Officer A along with messages referring to the women in derogatory terms. The ombudsman stated that in June 2021, the two officers were dispatched to the residence of a woman with mental health needs and learning difficulties following a report expressing concern for her welfare. A video recorded by Officer A showed the woman in bed wearing nightwear, with Officer B standing at the foot of the bed. The report noted that Officer A posed a "highly inappropriate question" using a slang phrase seemingly concerning the woman’s sex life. Following this, Officer B shouted a comment and asked her to repeat it. The ombudsman said the woman responded by holding up her electronic tablet and informing them that she was recording the officers. Officer A claimed they were having "craic" and instructed the woman to "lighten up". Upon being shown the footage by Police Ombudsman investigators, the woman stated she was unaware she was being recorded and felt "disgusted". Ms Durkin said: "Such behaviour from police officers tasked to assist a vulnerable woman at a time of distress is reprehensible. "Recording a video while making sexualised comments to a vulnerable woman who was in bed in her nightwear was hugely inappropriate, a gross intrusion of her privacy and an affront to her dignity. They demeaned her for their own amusement. "It would be hard to imagine behaviour further removed from the care and compassion required by police officers in such a situation." The ombudsman noted that the same two officers had also engaged in exchanging messages and photos on WhatsApp in November 2020. Officer B was inside the residence of two women who had reported an assault and theft. While conversing with the women, who were known to have vulnerabilities, he took photographs of them and forwarded them to Officer A. The ombudsmen stated the images were accompanied by messages, some of a sexual nature and incorporating derogatory language regarding both women. Under interview, Officer B stated he was a junior officer and highlighted that Police Officer A was his Probationary Support Officer. He remarked that he was "trying to fit in" and maintained he would not have behaved in that manner had he not met Officer A. Photographs, videos, and messages concerning another 15 members of the public encountered by Officer A during his duties were uncovered on his active personal mobile device and a previous phone. Five of those individuals were photographed or filmed while inside hospital settings. They included a woman whom the officer had encountered repeatedly regarding incidents of self-harm and concerns that she might end her life. The ombudsman stated that in June 2019, while assigned to escort the woman to hospital, he forwarded a photo of her to a member of the public alongside details concerning her medical condition. The officer captured two videos of another woman he had been instructed to locate after she departed hospital while undergoing treatment following an overdose. The ombudsman said she was attached to a drip at the time, and the recordings were captured without her knowledge. Upon learning about the footage, the woman informed ombudsman investigators that she had been at the lowest point of her life and felt angry. A further woman, who remains unidentified, was photographed in a hospital bed with a police officer seated beside her, while a man was pictured speaking to an officer in a hospital waiting room in 2018. In another photo, a man considered at risk of self-harm was depicted lying across chairs in a hospital waiting area. The ombudsman noted that additional material included a video of a woman captured while she was abusing alcohol and drugs. The report stated that a further five videos discovered on Officer A’s device featured an elderly and visibly vulnerable man, filmed in his home and on a street from a police vehicle. The clips displayed the condition of the man’s living quarters and featured the officer offering remarks regarding his sex life. Two separate recordings were captured of women involved in a dispute between neighbours, one of whom was intoxicated. Neither was aware she was being filmed. Photos of two more men were transmitted in messages, one accompanied by mocking remarks about a man who appeared to be asleep in the back of a police car, and another using a derogatory term regarding a man photographed lying across chairs. The ombudsman stated that the officers’ conduct came to light during a 2021 investigation into an allegation that Officer A had abused his position for a sexual purpose by forming a relationship with a woman met on duty. Police Ombudsman investigators arrested the officer, searched his home and workplace, and seized electronic devices. Although the initial inquiry into the alleged improper relationship led to no formal action against him, the material uncovered on his personal phones prompted several further investigations. Among these was a Police Ombudsman probe establishing that 74 police officers, including Officer A, had accessed police body-worn video footage without any valid reason. The PSNI issued management action against all 74 officers. Following an internal PSNI Professional Standards investigation into evidence of racist, sexist, and misogynistic memes shared among police officers, Officer A was sacked in 2025. Officer B was dismissed for gross misconduct in July 2026, while another officer, Police Officer C, received a final written warning. Officer C had received a video showing a vulnerable member of the public from Officer A and later returned it to him. The officer accepted the video was inappropriate and ought to have been reported. No further action was taken against another officer, Police Officer D, who was present when Officer A made a recording but stated they were unaware it was occurring. Ms Durkin said: "Almost all of the people affected by these actions were vulnerable, some extremely so. "They should have been treated with compassion and empathy. "Instead, they were treated with nothing short of contempt. "These now former officers showed no respect for people’s privacy or dignity at their time of need and seriously undermined their trust and confidence in policing. "One also shared a series of messages with a member of the public, showing scant regard for the confidentiality of police inquiries. "They were unworthy of the role of police officer and it is only right that they have been dismissed from the PSNI." Mr Singleton said: "It will shock and appal our officers and staff that any member of the public, needing our help, was treated in this cruel and dismissive way. "The behaviour described by the ombudsman falls far below the standards the public is entitled to expect from police officers. It represented a serious breach of trust, particularly affecting people who were entitled to care, compassion and professional support at times of acute vulnerability. "We take any cases of misconduct of this nature extremely seriously. "This is reflected in the dismissals of two officers. It is essential for public confidence in policing that complaints of this nature are fully investigated by the Police Ombudsman and we fully engage with these processes." [Image text:] .cheshire.police.uk OOLCE