A Kent Police constable has been dismissed from the force after he attempted to form an inappropriate sexual relationship with a witness.
Matthew Peall, who was based in Canterbury, was sacked at the end of a three-day disciplinary hearing, where the panel found he had committed gross misconduct.
It was proven that he had breached the police professional standards of behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, duties and responsibilities, and discreditable conduct.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began its investigation in February 2020 when Kent Police made a referral alleging the officer had abused his power for sexual purposes.
He was accused of sending inappropriate messages to the witness whom he had met while investigating a burglary she had reported.
The IOPC found the 48-year-old had contacted the woman when on and off duty, exchanging hundreds of messages over three months, with 86% of them of a personal nature and nothing to do with the investigation.
He also used suggestive or lewd language in some of the texts and tried to arrange to meet up with her for sex.
The woman responded to some of Peall’s messages, but she frequently ignored them or tried to divert the conversation back to the investigation.
In a statement to the IOPC, she described how, as a witness who tried to assist the police, she additionally had to deal with unwanted advances from Peall.
He was dismissed without notice yesterday (July 9) and will also be placed on the policing barred list.
IOPC director Emily Barry said: “I would like to praise the courage of the woman who supported our investigation into Peall’s behaviour.
“She wanted him to focus on the police investigation into the burglary rather than trying to form an inappropriate relationship with her.
“Our investigation found he knew he was behaving inappropriately, as there were times when he asked if she was getting his messages and if he had overstepped the line.
“There is a power imbalance between police officers acting in the course of their duties and members of the public they come into contact with through their work.
“The guidance for officers shows the responsibility lies with them to maintain a professional boundary.
“Officers who abuse their position for a sexual purpose have absolutely no place in policing, and it is behaviour like his that damages the public’s trust and confidence in police officers.”
The IOPC’s investigation concluded in February 2021, and the case was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider criminal charges about Peall’s attempt to form an improper relationship with the woman.
During the trial, he accepted that there had been inappropriate flirtation via text messages and that he should have reported the relationship to his employers.
However, Peal, who was suspended from duty after being charged, did not accept that he was misconducting himself in a public office and pleaded not guilty to the offence.
On August 9, 2024, he was cleared by the jury of misconduct in public office at Southwark Crown Court.
