Police officer in floods of tears after colleague allegedly touches her inappropriately, tribunal hears

Pc Keith Hall, who has retired from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, is alleged, while off duty, to have touched the bottom of the colleague, referred to as Officer A, as they left a bar following a leaving do in March 2022.

And in May of the same year, he is accused of running two fingers down the back of another colleague, referred to as Officer B, while on duty.

George Thomas, representing the police force, told the hearing at Fareham Police Station that both incidents, if proven, would amount to gross misconduct and would lead to Pc Hall being sacked if he had not already left the force.

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Mr Thomas said that the inappropriate touching was "unexpected, unwelcomed and without consent" and showed a lack of respect for the female colleagues. He added they amounted to a breach of standards of professional behaviour in respect of authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct.

Describing the first incident, Mr Thomas said that Pc Hall was leaving a bar at the same time as Officer A when he placed his hand on her bottom as they were to travel home in the same direction together.

Giving evidence, Officer A said that she had drunk a bottle of wine during the evening, but was not drunk. She said: "He was very, very drunk - he didn't look like he could focus, he didn't seem right.

"We got up and as I got up, walking away, I felt his arm come behind me in an ushering motion with the palm of his hand on my bottom. At the time I thought: 'Did that happen?' I was questioning myself."

When asked if she thought it had been an intentional act, she said: "How could I tell?" She added it had lasted a "couple of seconds". Fighting back tears, she added: "The trouble is it seems so irrelevant, it seems so silly."

She added that she was happy to see a friend a while later because she "didn't feel right". Officer A later sent a WhatsApp message to Officer B, saying that Keith was a “predator”.

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She said in a statement that he saw her after the incident, and added that she was in a "distressed" state and looked "uncomfortable" as she sat near to Pc Hall. He said that she had asked him to "save her" and referring to Pc Hall, added: "He's being very weird, he's really scaring me, he's been weird all night."

Officer A said she confronted Pc Hall a couple of days later and told him he had been "over-friendly with his hands", and she said: "He put his head down and said: 'This sort of thing loses jobs.'" She added: "I was literally shaking in my boots, I felt so sad I had to have this conversation with him."

Breaking down in tears, explaining why she made a complaint against Pc Hall, she said: "If something happened in the future and I hadn't said anything, because of all the media attention on the Met, I couldn't have forgiven myself if something had happened."

In the second incident, Mr Thomas said that Officer B was working a day shift when Pc Hall "ran two fingers down her spine from her neck to the bottom of her back". He added: "It's the type of behaviour police are expected to prevent, and not participate in themselves."

Phil Collard, of Hampshire Police Federation, representing Pc Hall, who did not attend the hearing, said that he denied both offences and said that if the first happened it was unintentional and happened as a result of the alcohol he had drunk.

Pc Hall's statement said: "I do not believe, if this happened, it was an intended action by me. I do not recall it and I believe it was an accident if it happened." He added that in relation to the second incident: "I strongly deny that ever happened."

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The tribunal heard that in a letter sent to Officer A, Pc Hall "begged for her forgiveness" and added: "I was intoxicated, not an excuse, I had lost all reason, not an excuse."

He said that he was "sick to the core" and added: "You have been incredibly strong. I have changed and nothing like that can happen again. You have shown a dark side of me that I never knew existed."

In a statement to the tribunal, he said that the allegations made him feel "low" as he had the "upmost respect" for his colleagues, and added: "I am shocked and upset at the allegations made and categorically deny the allegations."

The hearing continues.