Hastings police sergeant’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct

A Hastings police sergeant who sent inappropriate messages about colleagues, and superimposed a female officer’s face onto a pornographic picture of a naked woman, has been handed a final written warning after his actions were found to have amounted to gross misconduct.

Police sergeant Rob Adams was a member of a team WhatsApp group, between 2017 and 2019, that consisted of 20 police constables.

Over a period of 17 months, PS Adams was found to have sent messages containing explicit or pornographic images, participated in conversations of a sexual nature, participated in conversations that were derogatory about colleagues and instigated conversations about the physical appearance of a female colleague by sharing a screenshot of one of her Instagram posts into the WhatsApp group.

The hearing also heard PS Adams created a Secret Santa gift for a colleague in December 2017 by cutting a picture of a naked woman from a pornographic magazine and superimposed a female colleague’s face onto the image. He mounted it in a frame and a picture of it was then shared into the WhatsApp group, the hearing was told.

PS Adams admitted his behaviour amounted to misconduct, but denied gross misconduct.

On Friday (December 4), Alice Sims, the chair of the disciplinary hearing, concluded PS Adams’ behaviour amounted to gross misconduct as it ‘breached the professional behaviour expected of the police’.

She told the hearing: “I know it was not your intention to offend any members of your group. There is no evidence anyone was offended. But I am concerned that this was a WhatsApp group for mix use. It was a group for personal messages as well as operational duties.

“On a number of occasions, you instigated the behaviour while in the role of a supervisor. We find that your behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.”

Charges of gross misconduct can result in dismissal from the force but the panel decided to issue PS Adams with a final written warning instead.