A Cambridgeshire police officer has been sacked for breaching bail conditions, set as part of a criminal investigation.
A misconduct hearing concluded on June 27, and found that police constable Thomas Andrews was guilty of three counts of breaches of police bail.
PC Andrews had been subject to bail conditions which prevented him from attending "any location that you knew or ought to have known that Miss A is attending”.
He had also agreed “not to contact or interfere with any prosecution witness namely Miss A".
Andrews admitted that these conditions were breached on three occasions, and that he also breached the police's standards of professional behaviour.
Chief constable Nick Dean suggested, in the outcome of the misconduct hearing, that the welfare of his daughter (referred to as child A) may have been at the centre of PC Andrews' decision making at the time.
However Mr Dean also noted that the officer had time to reflect on his poor judgement, and that other options were available to him than the breaching of bail conditions.
Despite breaching bail, PC Andrews did not object to an extension of the bail, or apply to change any of the bail conditions at the time.
The chief constable said: “On three occasions the bail conditions were breached and there can be no denial that the officer did not understand the severity of non-compliance...
"...The public would expect that officers act with integrity and obey the very laws that they are there to enforce.
"In this case harm has been caused to the reputation of the constabulary, the police service and importantly it has dented the trust and confidence that the public have in police."
“The aggravating factors in this case are that this was a repeated breach in standards of professional behaviour. “
He said PC Andrews ignored advice given to him.
Deputy chief constable Jane Gyford added: "The public should be able to trust that police officers will always be truthful and open and act professionally at all times.
“We expect the highest standards of integrity from our officers, but PC Andrews’ conduct has been found to have fallen short of our expectations.”
PC Andrews had been based at Parkside Police Station in Cambridge, and had been a police officer for six years.
He has now been dismissed without notice.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here