A SENIOR police officer who engaged in sexual behaviour without consent has been sacked.

Tom Simons, a former chief superintendent, was dismissed by Essex Police after a disciplinary hearing found he abused his position for a sexual purpose with a colleague.

He also engaged in sexualised behaviour at work with two colleagues and failed to disclose his relationship with a colleague when he knew he should do so, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

An independent hearing chaired by Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy of Bedfordshire Police took place after an investigation led by the IOPC.  

Essex Police had referred the case to the IOPC to investigate in March 2022 following multiple allegations, at which time the officer was suspended. 

ACC Murphy decided that the gross misconduct hearing should take place in private to protect the anonymity of the individuals who had spoken-up to complain about the behaviour of the former officer and to ensure the integrity of the proceedings as they happened. 

Following the hearing which commenced on 31 March and which concluded this past week, the chair decided to name the former officer in the interests of transparency. 

Essex Police made strong submissions to the chair requesting that, if charges were proven, the officer should be named at the end of proceedings.  

Essex Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: "There is simply no place in policing for people who think, wrongly, that they can get away with sexual misconduct.

"I pay tribute to the witnesses in this case and to those who supported them in coming forward.

"If you try to get away with sexual misconduct or the kind of abhorrent behaviour we have seen in this case, we'll catch you.

"This case is particularly disappointing given the seniority of the former officer.

"I pay tribute to the witnesses in this case and to those who supported them in coming forward. You saw something that was wrong and then you did the right thing. I want to praise your courage in being up-standing and in trusting us to see this through.  

"It's super-clear in Essex; if you speak up, you'll be listened to and there will be action to help you. But if you try to get away with sexual misconduct or the kind of abhorrent behaviour we have seen in this case, we'll catch you. We'll investigate you and if allegations are proved then we'll do everything in our power to make sure you never work in policing again.  

"I will be completely frank. This case is particularly disappointing given the seniority of the former officer.  

"Finally, I would like to thank the professional journalists who have reported on this important matter so responsibly; you are helping to shine a light on a serious case while rightly protecting the anonymity of a number of people who so bravely spoke-up. 

"I would also like to thank the Essex Police detectives who helped the IOPC gather the evidence which brought Tom Simons to justice; your dedication to duty is clear to see."

The panel also found Mr Simons had breached a number of professional standards.

The IOPC said despite being reminded about his behaviour, Mr Simons continued to "behave inappropriately".

Essex Police said the IOPC conducted a full criminal investigation and that Mr Simons was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

But in June it was decided no criminal action would be taken.