A police officer whose conduct had a ‘devastating effect’ on a woman colleague has been found guilty of gross misconduct.
Colleagues were appalled by the behaviour of Christopher Ryan Hudson, 33, senior police said after the verdict.
Mr Hudson was sacked from North Yorkshire Police in June 2023. This followed another hearing which found he lied about being arrested and made further false declarations during his vetting process.
Today (Thursday), the verdict has been published of a second misconduct hearing held last week.
This heard that Mr Hudson, from Huddersfield, had suggested he and the unnamed woman officer have sex in a police van while they were on duty in February 2021.
A few days later he drove the police van to a Harrogate cemetery and propositioned the constable for sex again, kissed and touched her, despite her making it clear she didn’t want anything to happen.
Mr Hudson was alleged to have breached police standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct and authority, respect and courtesy.
His behaviour involved “the harassment of a woman that was unwanted, of a sexual nature, and had the effect of violating the woman’s dignity, and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment for her”.
The hearing determined that former officer 823 Hudson’s actions, amounted to gross misconduct. If he hadn’t already been sacked, he would have been dismissed with immediate effect. He will be placed on the College of Policing Barred list.
‘No place for such behaviour’
Deputy Chief Constable Scott Bisset said: “There is absolutely no place in policing for this behaviour. We demand the highest level of integrity from our officers and staff.
“Hudson’s conduct has had a devastating impact on the woman involved leading to her giving up a promising career. This type of misconduct is difficult to report under any circumstances but when it involves the very people the public should be able to trust, it adds a further element of concern.
“It is essential that the communities we are proud to serve, and our own colleagues, have total trust in us. Mr Hudson has betrayed that public trust and he has betrayed his former colleagues at North Yorkshire Police who are rightly appalled.
“Members of the public can be rest-assured that we will take immediate action when such incidents come to light.”
Following a criminal investigation, Mr Hudson was charged with one count of sexual assault in connection with the same allegations. He was found not guilty at Leeds Crown Court in 2023.
The verdict did not prevent the gross misconduct proceedings which are subject to a different legal threshold. In appropriate cases, disciplinary proceedings will be taken against officers even if they have been acquitted in the criminal courts.