West Yorkshire Police officer dismissed following gross misconduct hearing

27 Aug 2020 03:30 PM

A West Yorkshire Police constable (PC) has been dismissed without notice following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation at a gross misconduct hearing arranged by the force.

PC Darren Booth, aged 40, was investigated following allegations that he abused his position for sexual purpose in relation to his contact with a woman in 2019.

The allegation made against the officer was that he met a woman during the course of his duties in Castleford on 7 March 2019, propositioned her for sex and arranged to meet her later that day.

The woman – known as Miss A - and her friend rang the police before the meeting to inform them what was going to happen and PC Booth was found at her house by fellow officers. He claimed he was meeting her for ‘intel purposes’ about a counterfeit cigarettes case.

Our investigation – completed in March 2020 – found evidence of a case to answer, for gross misconduct, for PC Booth for breaching police standards of professional behaviour.

West Yorkshire Police agreed with our findings and scheduled a gross misconduct hearing which took place between 24 and 27 August.

The police panel overseeing the hearing, including an independent legally qualified chair, found PC Booth had committed gross misconduct with regard to his contact with the woman. The panel dismissed the officer from the force with immediate effect and he will be placed on the police barred list.

IOPC Regional Director Miranda Biddle said: “PC Booth breached police professional standards of behaviour, using his role to inappropriately engage with a woman. Such behaviour – an abuse of his position for sexual purpose – has no place in policing. West Yorkshire Police’s response to our investigation and the panel’s decision shows that such actions will not be tolerated.

“We would also like to thank Miss A for agreeing to give evidence which was heard in front of the officer and helped the panel have a full picture of the events of the day in question.”