Complaints against officers

[Fedster + 1,307]

Junior officers endured daily sexual bullying, misconduct panel told.

 

Date - 19th November 2018
By - JJ Hutber- Police Oracle

1 Comment

 

A Met PC made probationers’ lives a misery with his aggressive, sexual harassment after being kicked off a firearms team, a misconduct hearing was told today.

PC Lee Harrison sent lewd videos of himself, groped and simulated sex on young probationer officers while on duty between 2014 and 2017, a misconduct hearing at the Empress State Building in West London heard.

Two female witnesses, named only as Officer A and Officer B, testified they did not report his behaviour because they did not want to “rock the boat” and simply thought it was how junior officers were treated by their seniors in the Met.

The 31 allegations against PC Harrison, who did not attend the hearing, include he masturbated on duty, made insulting comments about his female colleagues’ personal appearance, touched their legs and breasts and put his tongue in their ears whilst on duty and “bantered” about sexual violence.

His sergeant, Stuart Murray, who did attend today, is accused of failing to challenge PC Harrison’s behaviour, allowing an overly sexualised atmosphere to develop and making comments of a sexual nature on a WhatsApp group with colleagues.

He attempted to resign, the hearing was told, but was refused permission. He is accused of failing to turn up for work, despite an official letter ordering him to do so, between February 2017 and July 2018. It is believed he took up a temporary offer of work during this time.

He denies all the allegations against him.

Sgt Murray is accused of talking about paying a prostitute on duty, allowing a PC to sleep on duty and doing nothing when PC Harrison twisted the arm of Officer B so she was bent over an office table while telling her “Don’t touch one of those or I’ll kick you in the uterus”, referring to a box of doughnuts a male colleague brought in.

In a WhatsApp group named “Merry f*cking Christmas” Sgt Murray is alleged to have written “I will come as long as there is a strip joint hand…do you get touching in the cave…no fun we need a foreign trip to somewhere civilised where they do”.

PC Harrison is accused of repeatedly sending insulting and explicit texts to Officers A and B, saying he didn’t know why women were allowed in the MPS, simulating sex on Officer A in the back of a police van, and intimately touching his female colleagues on numerous occasions.

The unwanted sexual advances towards the junior probationers include telling Officer A he wanted to “bruise her labia”.

PC Harrison had been sent to the Safer Neighbourhood team at Newham after being disciplined for a misdemeanour during his time on the “gun team”, the hearing was told.

Officer A told the hearing PC Harrison was the most experienced member of the team but often refused to take her or officer B out on duty because he “didn’t want to take out girls” and didn’t know why “women were allowed in the Met if they didn’t put out”.

Every day he would tell her she was a “f*cking disgrace” and a “failure” when she walked into the office, she said.

When she was sitting in the front of the patrol vehicle he would squeeze her thigh and if she was sitting in the back he would reach under her trouser leg to “check the lengths of the socks I was wearing,” she said.

“I was in the very back [of a police minibus], PC Harrison was in the middle row and climbed over seats to get in the back, pushed me onto the seat, got on top of me and simulated having sex with me.

“On another occasion I was putting something into the boot of a marked police car.

“He bent me over the boot and simulated having sex with me on the bonnet.

“At the Christmas party it was a pub where the toilets were upstairs. He followed me, he was behind me and said you actually look like you’ve got a bum in those jeans and slapped my bum.”

“When I joined the police, I was told there would be banter,” she said.

“I assumed this was normal police banter which was I think one of the reasons I didn’t challenge it. I just thought this was what the police were like.”

She was reluctant to incriminate Sgt Murray, saying PC Harrison was a very controlling personality.

Officer B on the other said, although Sgt Murray is a “really nice guy” she was 100 per cent sure he knew what was going on.

She stood by her comments even when counsel for Sgt Murray, Richard Atchley pointed out by her own admission, 95 per cent of the inappropriate behaviour happened inside a police vehicle and that he was frequently away on mutual aid or other duties.

Officer B described the atmosphere at work as “awful”.

“I felt that Lee was the boss. If Sgt Murray called and asked him to do something he would say ‘okay serg’ then put the phone down and say ‘we’re not fucking doing that.’

“I didn’t report it because I didn’t feel anything would be done about it.

“I dreaded going to work.”

Mr Atchley told the hearing Sgt Murray had in fact disciplined PC Harrison when Officer ‘D’ complained he made inappropriate comments about her pole dancing hobby and had sent an email to the team complaining his orders were not being followed.

View On Police Oracle

[Hoofing 73]

That was painful to read. Absolutely no room for that sort of behaviour. 

[Zulu 22 + 4,569]

It was annoying that this conduct happened in the first place, there is no room for it whatsoever. The other more alarming thing was, that it was allowed to happen and nothing was done about it. Perhaps the officers involved will be at the Job Centre in the very near future.

[HazRat 762]

Wow. They work amongst us.

Anyone know what the ‘gun team’ is at Newham? Another article suggested that he was an AFO, but we don’t have them BOCU.

Mr Atchley told the panel Pc Harrison, an officer with 17 years’ experience, became unhappy after he was taken off an armed squad.

https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/crime-court/newham-policeman-accused-of-being-a-sexual-predator-at-misconduct-hearing-1-5786116

[Growley + 2,436]

Wow. They work amongst us.
Anyone know what the ‘gun team’ is at Newham? Another article suggested that he was an AFO, but we don’t have them BOCU.
Mr Atchley told the panel Pc Harrison, an officer with 17 years’ experience, became unhappy after he was taken off an armed squad.
https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/crime-court/newham-policeman-accused-of-being-a-sexual-predator-at-misconduct-hearing-1-5786116

I'm guessing he got the boot from one of the armed OCUs, rather than an on-borough unit.

[HazRat 762]

1 minute ago, Growley said:

6 hours ago, HazRat said:

Wow. They work amongst us.
Anyone know what the ‘gun team’ is at Newham? Another article suggested that he was an AFO, but we don’t have them BOCU.
Mr Atchley told the panel Pc Harrison, an officer with 17 years’ experience, became unhappy after he was taken off an armed squad.
https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/crime-court/newham-policeman-accused-of-being-a-sexual-predator-at-misconduct-hearing-1-5786116

I'm guessing he got the boot from one of the armed OCUs, rather than an on-borough unit.

That’s what I’m thinking. I know RG had an AFO unit for Belmash a few years back.

[Growley + 2,436]

That’s what I’m thinking. I know RG had an AFO unit for Belmash a few years back.

Yeah unless he's been angry for something like 6 years, it probably wasn't that [emoji23]

But people are quietly removed from ARV every now and again for various reasons.

[Zulu 22 + 4,569]

Irrespective his behaviour was deplorable and it would have been apparent to everybody on shift.  WhatsApp seems to show them both up for what they were. The Job does not need officers like them.

[Fedster + 1,307]

Alleged sexual predator PC also targeted male probationer, hearing told

'Aggressively sexual' PC would mostly harass junior colleagues in police cars, misconduct panel hears.

 

Date - 22nd November 2018
By - JJ Hutber- Police Oracle

 

A PC told a misconduct hearing this week she did not report her claims a fellow officer violently sexually assaulted on her a regular basis because she had no faith she would be believed.

And a male PC, who worked on the same safer neighbourhood team, described how Metropolitan PC Lee Harrison would routinely rub his leg at work and deliberately use hyper-sexualised language to make him feel uncomfortable.

PC Harrison is accused of sharing lewd videos of himself, groping and simulating sex on young probationer officers while on duty between 2014 and 2017.

On Monday the hearing heard harrowing evidence from female probationers Officer A and Officer B about how they simply thought his daily bullying and aggressive sexual advances were just examples of how junior colleagues are treated by the seniors in the Met.

They also spoke of their frustration that PC Harrison would not take them out on jobs because he didn’t think women should be allowed in the MPS.

His sergeant, Stuart Murray is accused of failing to challenge PC Harrison’s behaviour, allowing an overly sexualised atmosphere to develop and making comments of a sexual nature on a WhatsApp group with colleagues.

A male officer who had been a probationer at the time, named only as ‘Officer E’ told the misconduct panel how if he was sitting in the front of a police car PC Harrison would rub his leg up and down but this was just “normal behaviour for Lee”.

In an official statement, Officer E stated PC Harrison had asked him for a blowjob. While giving evidence Officer E did not contradict the statement but said he could not recall the evidence.

Officer E told the hearing PC Harrison was “overtly sexual,” regularly making “uncomfortable” comments and questioning him about whether he had slept with Officer A.

The officer also described how PC Harrison posted a picture of a naked woman on a WhatsApp group used by himself, PC Harrison and another male officer on the team with the caption “This is Officer A”.

He said he heard PC Harrison often refusing to take female officers out in the car because he did not want to work with girls.

But he was hesitant to criticise either PC Harrison or Sgt Murray, who he described as a “good skipper” who was likely unaware of the extent of PC Harrison’s bullying and sexual harassment.

On PC Harrison he said: “I wouldn’t say it was funny [the leg touching]. I don’t think he was making a move on me. That’s his way of being funny.

“I have got a lot of respect for Lee. Had he not been on the team I’d be useless. That stuff aside I did have respect for him”.

A second male probationer, ‘Officer F’ recalled PC Harrison asked a female probationer, ‘Officer C’ whether she would do some pole dancing for the Christmas party, in front of a detainee, and how he described in graphic detail his relationship with his wife.

According to Officer F, PC Harrison continually asked Officer A for sex.

“I think he hoped if he kept asking her she would eventually give in and have sex with him.

“I thought there was maybe little of banter but I think there was an element of potential seriousness to it. He kept saying ‘you’re not a lesbian you’re bi-sexual’.

Officer F admitted helping PC Harrison to destroy the contents of Officer B’s locker while she was on annual leave.  

“He said stop being a pussy, egging me on to do it. If you challenged him and said no to him he’d then start on you. It was easier to go along with it in the end than to try and fight it,” Officer F said.

“If you said anything he’d say ‘oh I banged your sister last night.’

“If I did challenge him his behaviour was quite intimidating. I would say if you tried challenging, it would turn back on you.”

Yet Officer F added: “I enjoyed my time when I was there. I learned a lot of things which made me a better officer.”

The hearing was told the team was 75 per cent probationer officers “because it was safer neighbourhoods” and Sgt Murray was rarely in the office because he was acting up as inspector or away on mutual aid - again this was justified because he worked in neighbourhood policing.

This was despite the fact Sgt Murray was regarded as a passionate and hardworking neighbourhood policing sergeant, who went out of his way and even organised sporting events to forge a good relationships with the local Lithuanian community in the hope they would pass on intelligence.

Sgt Murray relied on PC Harrison, who had been kicked off the “gun team” for a previous misdemeanour to train the new recruits.

The evidence of Officer C, who worked in social care for 17 years before plucking up the courage to join the police, was even more disturbing than the testimonies of her younger female probationers.

She described how he would grab her breasts or legs in the locker room or in cars, pull her hair and twist her arm.

She said her boyfriend started to notice the bruises on her body.

“It would be done if I wasn’t co-operating with him, if I wasn’t reacting in a way he wanted me to react to him. It’d be out the blue,” she said.

“He’d grab my wrist or knee and push it up my back. It could be for any reason. It was mostly if I wasn’t doing or saying something he didn’t want me to do.”

Officer C said if she came out of the toilet within a locker room PC Harrison would block her path and lick her or put his hand between her legs or grab her breasts and push himself against her if she was using the kitchen sink.

On one occasion, she said, he pinned her to floor while he groped her.

“I lost count of how many times he did it,” she said.

He would also comment on her body in front of the team and ridicule her.

She sobbed as she said: “I think he picked on the things he knew were important to me like being able to do my job well and being a good parent to my children.

“He’d use it against me and make me feel really stupid. He’d make me feel like I was losing my mind.

“Other times he’d be like a hero and do really nice things.

“I just felt constantly stupid to be honest.”  

She also claimed he went into the toilet at work and sent her a video of him masturbating but said she deleted the clip immediately.

Unlike her former colleagues, she did not hold back from lambasting Sgt Murray. She accused him of regularly discussing paying for prostitutes and going along with PC Harrison’s jokes that Sgt Murray would date rape her during a trip to the Lithuanian embassy.

“I felt like PC Harrison had influence over Sergeant Murray.

“I felt like he was his right hand man,” she said.

“There were a lot of conversations with a very sexual tone to them as well. Banter if you like and jokes mostly based on sex, on their habits and what they did in their personal lives.”

When asked by the panel why she had sex with PC Harrison after the breakdown of her own relationship despite his alleged horrendous behaviour she said: “It was easier just to let him have his way”.

She described him as a Jekyll and Hyde character who could also be “really happy and nice” and a shoulder to cry on.

When asked why she didn’t report his behaviour she said: “I was very, very intimidated by him. He was a massive person, very scary.

“I didn’t think if I said anything about him anyone would believe me. I started to think I’m a probationer, I’ve got a mortgage to pay, I’ve got children. He’s got 16 years [experience].

“I’m going to lose my job, I’m not going to be able to pay my mortgage.”

PC Harrison did not attend the hearing or send representation.

The hearing continues.

View On Police Oracle

[SimonT + 1,185]

I'm not sure if it's been covered, but I think the missconduct line has been crossed into multiple criminal offences by a long way. 

[HazRat 762]

I read this and cannot understand how we work in an organisation where a colleague reporting sexual assault would not be believed. It makes you worry what would happen where a member of public reports it.

If he gets sacked I’d say that he’s been very lucky. I’m guessing a criminal prosecution didn’t happen.

[HazRat 762]

PC Harrison got the sack and the Sgt got a final written warning.

Married Newham policeman dismissed without notice over sexually explicit behaviour - https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/newham-pc-lee-harrison-dismissed-without-notice-over-sexually-explicit-behaviour-1-5798891

[ScotLass + 638]

I read this and cannot understand how we work in an organisation where a colleague reporting sexual assault would not be believed. It makes you worry what would happen where a member of public reports it.
If he gets sacked I’d say that he’s been very lucky. I’m guessing a criminal prosecution didn’t happen.

You only have to look at the huge difference between some of the officers testimonies. One saying that the atmosphere at work was horrible and the other saying that the dismissed cop was just having banter and taught him everything he knows.

[Pathca + 612]

I am horrified that the Sergeant involved didn't receive more severe punishment 

[Reasonable Man + 1,230]

You only have to look at the huge difference between some of the officers testimonies. One saying that the atmosphere at work was horrible and the other saying that the dismissed cop was just having banter and taught him everything he knows.

I remember the time when WPCs (as they were universally known) were subject to banter and had to have the station stamp on their upper thigh - above their stockings.
All jolly good fun by characters you don’t see around these days.