Met Police tutor dismissed after biting student on neck and touching her thigh
He then texted the student after an end of course drinks event saying it was 'important to have a good time at work' and that she 'just didn't get' his behaviour.
Pc Lee had joined the Met in 2018, while the student was working on the unit and had began her course in October 2021.
There was a 'jovial culture' on the unit with tutors and students often going out for drinks together, as was the case when they went to the pub after work on November 5 2021, the panel said.
Pc Lee first put his hand on the student's thigh while she was sitting next to him in the pub.
As she then leaned across him later in the evening, the tutor then bit her on the left side of her neck, causing the student to say 'he just bit me', the panel said.
The student later said in evidence that the bite was 'not that hard' and did not leave a mark, but that she had 'felt teeth not lips'.
The tutor stated in evidence that he had consumed six or seven pints of beer that evening, and was drunk at the time of the incidents but still 'bodily capable'.
He accepted he had touched the student's thigh and kissed her on the neck, but denied touching her back and biting her.
But the panel found both of the disputed allegations proven on the balance of probabilities, and that Pc Lee's conduct was sexual and inappropriate in nature as he was attracted to the student.
A discussion involving Pc Lee and the student about favourite tutors then took place at the end of course drinks several weeks later, again at a pub, on December 3 2021, the panel said.
When his name was not mentioned, the tutor said to the student 'What did you just say', 'Who are your favourite tutors', and 'We got you your IPS (Independent Patrol Status) they didn't'.
The following day, Pc Lee sent the student a text about the discussion which said: 'I'm sorry you felt we were rude but we were not intentionally, that's our personalities together and I think it's important to have a good time at work.
'At no point did we every say anything rude against you and I'm sorry you felt that we were rude.
'You just didn't get us which is fine.'
The comments made by Pc Lee towards the student at the pub were found by the panel to be humiliating for her.
They found the tutor's overall behaviour in both incidents together amounted to gross misconduct, as it breached the force's Standards of Professional Behaviour.
Pc Lee was subsequently dismissed without notice at a misconduct hearing and placed on the College of Policing barred list.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
3 hours ago
- Spectator
The Met Police dealt with the Palestine Action protest admirably
Jonathan Porritt's arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000 is the apogee of a 'luxury belief.' Unlike the dozens of other younger people arrested in Westminster on Saturday for supporting the proscribed organisation Palestine Action (PA), Sir Jonathon Espie Porritt, 2nd Baronet CBE is a longstanding member of the administrative and political boss class. He declared himself 'privileged' to be nicked with the grandiose pomposity reserved for people who, by age or means, are insulated from any consequences. Others, inspired by their sanctimony, face potentially lifelong consequences for financial independence and freedom of movement, citizenship or employment, whether arrested or convicted. The weekend's protest in front of parliament resulted in a total of 522 arrests for offences against one of our most punitive pieces of legislation. Many commentators, including the front organisation for the mass civil disobedience group 'Defend our Juries', had prophesied the collapse of the Metropolitan police, overwhelmed by sheer numbers of defiant activists. This isn't quite what transpired – but the admission from the Met that it faced an entirely 'unrealistic challenge' to police a few hundred retired teachers and clerics was oddly defeatist. London's finest were augmented by officers from other forces across England and Wales. They were there in numbers and the approach was proportionate to all the other public order challenges it faces every weekend, as well as the basic requirement to keep neighbourhoods not in the slightest bit interested in events thousands of miles away safe. Those offered 'street bail' after arrest to conserve police numbers around Parliament Square and stop custody suites from collapsing should take no comfort in later defying any conditions attached to their freedom by rejoining the protest, even without placards. The Met will no doubt have deployed huge evidence-gathering resources and long after the transgressive glee has worn off, the knock on the door will come as a shock for many. We are also yet to see how the judiciary will act as these cases drift along our bunged-up criminal justice system. The decision to prosecute is likely not to be straightforward, as it will surely involve Attorney General Lord Hermer, whose 'militant' activism on the side of the human rights industry is well known. The decision to proscribe PA in the first place has his fingerprints all over it. The least anyone can routinely expect on conviction for this offence is a high-level community order including a curfew, unpaid work and rehabilitation activity. There is some wiggle room for 'exceptional circumstances' to reduce even that penalty but it has to be justified by the court. All eyes on the judiciary then, magistrates in particular. It's a pity that anyone protesting who is not in possession of a public sector pension or ancestral grandeur will not have been aware of the information now emerging about the decision to proscribe PA. It may have given some of them at least pause for thought. The government has been woefully uncoordinated when it comes to this point, continually sheltering behind the idea of 'national security' and a need-to-know basis. While the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has alluded to PA's directly anti-Semitic behaviour and links to malign foreign states, these were only made more explicit this morning when justice minister Alex Davies-Jones spelt out the risk of people with perfectly legitimate anger at the plight of Palestinians being manipulated. It is significant that 'Defend our Juries' aren't committing to facilitating actions similar to last weekend in the future, preferring to say that they will organise protests against the curtailment of freedom of expression. I hope they do because protesting the power of the state is a precious right in a liberal democracy, one that is in fact a bulwark against extremism. The Met, the subject of relentless criticism around under- or overreacting to public order, played the hand they were dealt with well this weekend gone. Ministers must now ensure that ordinary citizens with the most to lose understand the malign nature of the organisation they want to sacrifice their life chances for.
South Wales Guardian
6 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Palestine Action supporters ‘will feel full force of law', justice minister says
The protest was held at Parliament Square on Saturday, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the Metropolitan Police warning it would detain anyone expressing support for Palestine Action. The force confirmed on Sunday that 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, out of the total 532 arrests made during the policing operation. Over the coming weeks, officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together case files and secure charges against those arrested, the force added. Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told BBC Breakfast on Monday: 'I want to thank the police for their bravery and their courage in carrying out their diligent duties in the line of public protection, and I want to state that the right to peacefully protest in this country is a cornerstone of our democracy, and of course, we respect that. 'But with regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful. 'They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft. 'We have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the United Kingdom, and there are other reasons, which we can't disclose because of national security. 'But they are a prescribed terrorist organisation and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law.' The Met said they were aware of online photos and footage suggesting some people returned to Parliament Square after being released on bail, adding it would be 'entirely unrealistic' for officers to recognise these individuals. One of the bail conditions was not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action, police said. 'Given the numbers of people arrested (on Saturday) it would have been entirely unrealistic for officers to recognise individuals who returned to the area,' a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said. 'Their focus was rightly on those continuing to commit offences who were still to be arrested. 'We are as confident as we can be that none of those who returned to Parliament Square re-joined the protesters who were holding placards.' Securing a charge for an offence under the Terrorism Act will, in some instances, require approval by both the Crown Prosecution Service and Attorney General Lord Hermer, police said. The majority of those arrested, 348, were aged 50 or over, according to a breakdown published by the Met on Sunday. Detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area. Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. There were a further 10 arrests, six for assaults on officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions, one arrest for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty, and one for a racially aggravated public order offence, the force said. Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales for offences against Section 13 of the Terrorism Act relating to Palestine Action. The three people charged were arrested at a protest in Parliament Square on July 5. 'A further 26 case files relating to arrests on the same day are due to be submitted to the CPS imminently, with more to follow in relation to later protests,' a spokesperson for the Met added.
Rhyl Journal
7 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Palestine Action supporters ‘will feel full force of law', justice minister says
The protest was held at Parliament Square on Saturday, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the Metropolitan Police warning it would detain anyone expressing support for Palestine Action. The force confirmed on Sunday that 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, out of the total 532 arrests made during the policing operation. Over the coming weeks, officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together case files and secure charges against those arrested, the force added. Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told BBC Breakfast on Monday: 'I want to thank the police for their bravery and their courage in carrying out their diligent duties in the line of public protection, and I want to state that the right to peacefully protest in this country is a cornerstone of our democracy, and of course, we respect that. 'But with regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful. 'They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft. 'We have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the United Kingdom, and there are other reasons, which we can't disclose because of national security. 'But they are a prescribed terrorist organisation and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law.' The Met said they were aware of online photos and footage suggesting some people returned to Parliament Square after being released on bail, adding it would be 'entirely unrealistic' for officers to recognise these individuals. One of the bail conditions was not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action, police said. 'Given the numbers of people arrested (on Saturday) it would have been entirely unrealistic for officers to recognise individuals who returned to the area,' a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said. 'Their focus was rightly on those continuing to commit offences who were still to be arrested. 'We are as confident as we can be that none of those who returned to Parliament Square re-joined the protesters who were holding placards.' Securing a charge for an offence under the Terrorism Act will, in some instances, require approval by both the Crown Prosecution Service and Attorney General Lord Hermer, police said. The majority of those arrested, 348, were aged 50 or over, according to a breakdown published by the Met on Sunday. Detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area. Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. There were a further 10 arrests, six for assaults on officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions, one arrest for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty, and one for a racially aggravated public order offence, the force said. Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales for offences against Section 13 of the Terrorism Act relating to Palestine Action. The three people charged were arrested at a protest in Parliament Square on July 5. 'A further 26 case files relating to arrests on the same day are due to be submitted to the CPS imminently, with more to follow in relation to later protests,' a spokesperson for the Met added.
