Latest news with #public safety
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Telegraph
Primary school teacher was found with two kitchen knives in bag
A primary school teacher has been struck off after police found two large kitchen knives in her bag. Lauren Jenkins, 39, was searched after police were called to a disturbance at a property in August 2022. A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct panel heard she was arrested for an alleged assault but no further action was taken. Jenkins, who taught at the Merlin Top Primary Academy in Keighley, Yorkshire, later pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in a public place and was given a 12-week suspended jail term. The court said she avoided prison because the knives were not brandished and were found only when police searched her bag. The TRA panel also heard Jenkins was convicted in March 2022 of drink-driving when she was three times over the limit and told a witness that she had 'done something silly'. 'Dishonest' conduct After 13 years as a teacher at Merlin Top, she did not return to the school after the knife incident and quit her job in October 2022. The school referred the matter to the TRA. The panel ruled she had failed to tell the school that she had been arrested and convicted of the knife offences. It said: 'The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a finding which involved offences which placed the public at risk of harm, and conduct found to be dishonest and that lacked integrity.' Jenkins, who did not attend the hearing, was described as an experienced and fantastic teacher. She has been banned from the classroom for at least five years.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- BBC News
Lincolnshire PC failed to act after man seen 'covered in blood'
A police officer's failure to investigate a report of a man covered in blood was "inexplicable", a misconduct hearing has panel at Lincolnshire Police headquarters found that PC Gayle Newton, 50, had failed to be diligent in her duties, to prioritise the welfare of the victim – who was later found to have been stabbed – and to treat a member of the public with respect on 3 April amounted to gross misconduct and Ms Newton would have been dismissed had she not already resigned, the panel on Ms Newton's behalf, Det Con David Haddock, of the Police Federation, said she accepted "her inaction fell below the standards expected". Ms Newton, who did not attend the hearing, was based at Gainsborough Police Briggs, counsel for Lincolnshire Police, told the panel that, on the day of the incident, Ms Newton was at a Tesco superstore on Trinity Street when she was approached by a member of the public who reported seeing an injured man nearby. The witness later said she had "never seen someone covered in so much blood" and "he looked close to death"Ms Briggs said Ms Newton told the witness she "would sort it", but failed to take any further details, make notes or ask where the injured man was walking panel was told that Ms Newton drove for three minutes in a "cursory effort" to find him and failed to contact colleagues, before driving eight miles to Blyton. There was no explanation for this as she was not attending an Briggs said Ms Newton "chose to sit out of the way so not to be involved in this investigation".A short time later, East Midlands Ambulance Service notified police that the man had been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed. Ms Newton returned to her police station, but did not share her knowledge with defence of the former officer, Det Con Haddock said: "Why she did this is a mystery."She has been unable to account [for] why she did what she did, partly due to her poor recollection of the day."Ms Newton had served with Lincolnshire Police for 20 years, regretted her actions and was "sorry for the disrepute" she had brought upon the force and hearing was told that the ex-officer had strained working relationships with colleagues, which caused her to feel "anxious". 'Protect life' Assistant Chief Constable Chris Davison, who chaired the panel, described Ms Newton's failure to immediately respond to the witness report as "inexplicable".There had been a risk to the victim and potentially to members of the said the public expected police officers "to act to protect life" and the panel was confident Ms Newton failed to Newton, who served her last day with the force on Tuesday, can force said no one was charged in connection with the stabbing and the victim made a full reporting by Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporting Service. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
