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Police officer wore 'I love weed' hat and defaced sex offence suspect's CV Police officer wore 'I love weed' hat and defaced sex offence suspect's CV
(about 5 hours later)
A police officer wore a woolly hat with the words “I love weed” while on duty and defaced a suspect’s CV with the words “kiddie fiddler” and “paedo” during an investigation into allegations of child abuse, a disciplinary hearing has been told. A police officer who wore an “I love weed” woolly hat on duty and scribbled “puerile” abuse on a CV during an investigation into an allegation of child abuse is facing the sack following a disciplinary hearing.
North Yorkshire police’s PC Simon Ryan denies gross misconduct but has apologised, claiming his “puerile” behaviour was intended to “leaven” the mood of colleagues. A panel ruled that PC Simon Ryan, of North Yorkshire police, was guilty of gross misconduct after he wrote “paedo”, “paedophile” and “kiddie fiddler” on the document to amuse colleagues.
The hearing at the force’s headquarters is the first disciplinary the constabulary has held where the public and press are allowed to attend, watching proceedings via a videolink. The hearing at the police headquarters was the first disciplinary the force has held where the public and press were allowed to attend.
Edward Pleeth, representing the force, said the officer searched a home following an allegation of a sexual offence involving a child in January 2015. The panel heard Ryan found the CVs at a house during an investigation into an allegation of a sex offence involving a child in January 2015. Under “interests”, Ryan amended the CV to say “abusing children”, the hearing was told. He then showed the CV to colleagues, did not record it as evidence and later destroyed it in the confidential waste at Northallerton police station.
He took a copy of the occupant’s CV from a pile and wrote “paedophile”, “paedo” and “kiddie fiddler”, Pleeth said. Under interests, Ryan amended the CV to say “abusing children”, the hearing was told. Ten days later he was on duty when he wore a hat with a cannabis logo and the message “I love weed”, both in the office and while on mobile patrol.
He then showed the CV to colleagues, did not record it as evidence and later destroyed it in the confidential waste at Northallerton police station. Edward Pleeth, for the force, said: “The public are rightly entitled to have complete confidence and faith in the honesty and integrity of officers allowed into their private space.”
Ten days later while on duty he wore a hat with a cannabis logo and the message “I love weed”, both in the office and while on patrol. Chair Lindsey Hall said the disciplinary panel found Ryan had breached six standards that police officers should uphold and was guilty of gross misconduct.
Pleeth said the officer demonstrated “a total lack of insight into the severity and nature of this offending behaviour”. The barrister said Ryan had admitted tampering with evidence, removing it and then destroying it. That amounted to theft of the CV, he said. She said the public needed to have faith in the conduct of officers, and that Ryan had shown a lack of respect. Conducting a serious search of a property was “not an appropriate forum for frivolity”. Wearing the hat with the cannabis logo was likely to discredit the police force, she said.
“The public are rightly entitled to have complete confidence and faith in the honesty and integrity of officers allowed into their private space,” he said. The panel will announce on Tuesday what the sanction will be. Pleeth said Ryan’s conduct was so bad that he should be dismissed.
With regards to the other incident, Pleeth said: “The wearing of the hat, even as a joke, was entirely inappropriate, as Ryan accepts.” Guy Ladenburg, for the officer, said defacing the CV was “a very poor practical joke” and described it as “puerile”, and he urged the panel to let him remain as a police officer, a role he has carried out for 13 years.
Guy Ladenburg, for the officer, said defacing the CV was “a very poor practical joke” in bad taste but that the document had no evidential or financial value. He said it was “puerile behaviour, expected to be seen more in the schoolroom than in the context of a police search”. He said colleagues described Ryan as “committed, conscientious and diligent”. He had worked on terror-related searches, covered football matches and assisted the Metropolitan police during the London riots.
The hat had been given to him by his 26-year-old stepson, Ladenburg said, and when he wore it, he was not seen by any member of the public and was in the dark. One reference told of him being a “practical joker, although never malicious”. Ladenburg said: “This officer intended simply to make a joke for the benefit of his colleagues. We recognise of course how inappropriate that is.”
He added: “PC Ryan offers a wholly unconditional apology to his colleagues, to North Yorkshire police force and to the wider members of the public for allowing his sense of humour to dominate the way he behaved. He recognises, of course, it was inappropriate.” Ladenburg said Ryan had two children from a previous marriage, two stepsons, and his family relied on his earnings. The hat had been given to him by his 26-year-old stepson, Ladenburg said, and when he wore it he was not seen by any member of the public.
The incident with the CV only came to light seven or eight months after it happened, the barrister said. The independently chaired panel adjourned to consider the gross misconduct allegation. Ryan did not speak during the proceedings. He will be back on Tuesday to hear the outcome.