Greater Manchester Police detains officer, dismisses him over sexual images
A Greater Manchester Police custody detention officer was dismissed without notice after a hearing found gross misconduct over unsolicited sexualised photographs, videos and messages sent to a woman. The officer will now be placed on the barred list and cannot work in policing again.
Bolton Police Station contact
The case began in May 2024, when the woman attended the custody suite at Bolton Police Station to act as an appropriate adult for a child. Over the following weeks, she made several attempts to report the detention officer's behaviour, according to the findings from the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The investigation found evidence that he repeatedly sent the woman messages of a sexual nature, including photographs and videos. It also found evidence that he sent pictures of himself in uniform while at work and an image of his penis to her.
IOPC and GMP referral
Greater Manchester Police made a complaint referral on 13 July, after the force had referred allegations of sexual harassment to the independent watchdog. The investigation later found that the staff member had a case to answer for gross misconduct and sent the matter back to Greater Manchester Police for disciplinary proceedings in October 2025.
At a one-day hearing on Friday 29 May, the staff member was found to have breached police standards of professional behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, instructions, and discreditable conduct. He was also referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided not to charge him with any offence.
Disciplinary outcome
In interview, he admitted to investigators that he exchanged phone numbers with the woman and that the messages got a bit sexual. The investigation did not find evidence to support allegations that he used police systems to obtain her number or that he touched her inappropriately.
The dismissal without notice ends his policing career. For the woman, the disciplinary finding closes the conduct case against a man she met while he was on duty, and it leaves the barred list decision as the final step in the process.
