Latest news with #sexual harassment
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Des O'Connor's daughter says police 'cannot be trusted with women's safety' after decision not to sack officer who called her 'amazingly hot' and sexually harassed her while investigating her mugging
The daughter of Des O'Connor said police 'cannot be trusted with women's safety' after a police officer was not sacked for calling her 'amazingly hot' and sexually harassing her while investigating her mugging. Former Metropolitan Police detective chief inspector James Mason was given a final written warning by the panel in October 2021 for calling Kristina O'Connor, 37, his 'favourite Camden victim of crime ' and asking her out after she was injured in an attempted robbery in October 2011. A police misconduct panel previously found that Mr Mason, 47, used his authority to sexually harass her and that his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct, but ruled that it would have been 'disproportionately harsh' to sack him or reduce his rank. Mr Mason subsequently resigned from the force in 2022. The same panel reconvened on Thursday at Sutton police station to hear legal representations. In 2011, after being bruised and given a black eye during an attempted robbery, Ms O'Connor reported the attack and was taken to Kentish Town police station, a court heard. While taking down her statement, Mr Mason, then a detective sergeant, asked if he could take her out for dinner that evening. He then emailed her the next day asking her out for a drink and told her that despite her injuries: 'I am sure you still looking amazingly hot.' When she asked him to stop, Mr Mason wrote: 'Coming on to victims is positively encouraged, it's all part of the friendly and accessible face of the Met Police. It's the rejection that is frowned upon.' Ms O'Connor, who was 24 at the time of the incident, was unsuccessful in a 2023 High Court legal challenge against the panel's decision after alleging Mr Mason's actions were 'predatory and abusive', and the police had 'failed to properly investigate' a complaint. She appealed against the High Court ruling at a hearing in December last year, with the Court of Appeal ruling in January that the panel should reconsider its decision. Ms O'Connor, whose late father was a comedian, singer and television presenter, said she wanted to 'encourage women to continue to speak out, if they feel able to'. In a statement issued by Bindmans law firm, Ms O'Connor said: 'Regardless of the panel's decision, my experience has taught me that the police cannot be trusted with women's safety. 'I was abused by a police officer who should have been helping me. Since reporting his behaviour I have seen first-hand how the police were more interested in protecting themselves than helping me find justice, or protecting other women. 'I have spent many years questioning whether the policing system can be fixed and have come to the conclusion that if we are serious about women's safety, it needs replacing entirely.' David Messling, representing the Metropolitan Police at Thursday's hearing, said Mr Mason's conduct harmed 'public trust in policing'. Mr Messling told the panel: 'It was conduct that continued despite the victim challenging it and the officer indicating that he was fully aware the conduct was improper. 'This was an example of a police officer who was looking to take sexual advantage, by means of his position, of a vulnerable victim of crime. 'It goes to the heart of public trust and confidence in the police. We all understand the need to be on guard against crime, but victims of crime should not have to be on their guard against police officers.' Mitigating for Mr Mason, Ailsa Williamson said his conduct was 'not planned' and was 'limited to a period of two successive days'. Ms Williamson told the panel: 'While Mr Mason did not intend any harm to Ms O'Connor, he should have anticipated his attempts to pursue her could have impacted her trust in police officers. 'The harassment does not involve any physical contact and does not persist beyond those two days.' Discussing Mr Mason, Ms Williamson added: 'From the outset he's always accepted that his actions were inappropriate and unprofessional, and he continues to offer his unreserved apology to Ms O'Connor. 'He deeply recognises and regrets the harm caused to Ms O'Connor, the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Service and to those closest to him affected by these proceedings.' Ms O'Connor made a complaint against the Metropolitan Police in 2020 after a Facebook memory showed her the original emails, before taking legal action against the panel's decision. Nancy Collins, who is representing Ms O'Connor, said: 'Kristina has been extraordinarily brave in her tireless pursuit for justice. 'She chose to waive her anonymity and fight to challenge the outcome of a complaints process that failed to reflect the gravity of the experience she suffered through the serious misconduct of an officer in whom she had placed her trust. 'She has exposed the failures of the system. It is imperative that those who abuse positions of power are properly held to account and that the gravity of their actions is accurately reflected in any penalty awarded.'
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The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Ketamine-addicted teacher sent sexualised messages to pupil while in ‘K hole'
A teacher has been banned from the profession after he sent 'sexualised' messages to a student and admitted to an addiction to ketamine. Shane Lycett, 39, was the head of computing at Dane Court Grammar School in Broadstairs, Kent. Concerns were raised in 2024 about messages he had earlier sent a female student, according to a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) tribunal. In a disciplinary interview that followed, Mr Lycett said he had been addicted to ketamine for two years and that he took the drug every other day on average, the TRA panel said in its judgment. He said that he would get into 'K holes' and as a result could not remember sending the messages to the student, identified only as Pupil A. However, he told the meeting that he believed they must have been sent by him. The TRA found that Mr Lycett failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with the student by accepting her friend request on Facebook, sending her messages and making inappropriate comments. Mr Lycett offered to buy the student cocaine on her birthday, suggested that they 'go out drinking' when she was 18, and made references to ingesting alcohol and drugs, Pupil A's witness statement said. He also called the student a 'TILF' – which the panel said stands for 'Teenager I'd Like to F***'. The panel found that his actions were sexually motivated. 'The panel did not accept that there was any plausible innocent explanation as to why he had acted in the way he had with Pupil A,' it said. 'The panel did not consider that Mr Lycett's excuse of 'being in a K hole' was a plausible justification for his actions.' Police, who interviewed Mr Lycett after concerns were raised, took no further action because of 'insufficient evidence', according to the tribunal. The TRA panel also found it proven that the teacher took ketamine on one or more occasions between 2022 and 2024. 'Mr Lycett admitted to having a 'crippling addiction to ketamine' over the previous two years and that he had taken it most days,' it said. It concluded that he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and that his behaviour could bring the profession into disrepute. 'The panel considered the content of the messages Mr Lycett sent to be disturbing, in particular the fact that he normalised swearing and taking drugs and used sexualised language towards a pupil at the school,' it said. 'The panel considered these messages to be highly inappropriate for a teacher to send to a pupil.' It added that while the allegations took place outside the education setting, it believed Mr Lycett's conduct was 'intrinsically linked to his profession as a teacher'. He has been banned indefinitely from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.
