Cop sacked for saying he was sexually aroused while reading about sexual assault of teen
28 May 2022, 17:18 | Updated: 29 May 2022, 09:42
A senior police officer has been sacked after he told colleagues he was sexually aroused while reading about a case which involved the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl.
Chief Inspector Paul Crouch was dismissed from the British Transport Police without notice on Friday following a misconduct hearing.
The London based officer was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour, namely authority, respect and courtesy, discreditable conduct, equality and diversity over a ten year period.
The hearing was told that on once occasion Chief Inspector Crouch "made a comment to a colleague claiming he was sexually aroused while reading about the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl".
During his 10-year employment CI Crouch also sexually harassed a female colleague which included smelling her hair and rubbing his thighs in her presence.
He is also said to have made sexist and discriminatory comments about a female colleague, claiming she was promoted due to her gender and sexuality.
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On two separate occasions the officer made sexual and offensive comments about a senior female colleague.
The misconduct hearing was told Crouch kept a list of female colleagues he found attractive and created a sexualised working environment by displaying pictures on his wall of famous women he found attractive.
The disgraced officer also made sexually discriminatory comments to a female colleague, referring to her appearance, weight and attractiveness and made reference to a recruitment process being unfair because the panel was all female.
An independent panel found on Friday that his actions amounted to gross misconduct, and he was been dismissed from the force with immediate effect.
Detective Superintendent Peter Fulton, Head of BTP’s Professional Standards Department, said: “Tackling inappropriate sexual behaviour is BTP’s number one priority, whether that is on the railway network or within our own workforce.
"Officers like Paul Crouch completely undermine our efforts and we are determined to root people like him out, because there’s absolutely no place for sexualised or discriminatory behaviour within British Transport Police.
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"I would like to personally thank the colleagues who came forward and provided such compelling evidence which was crucial in holding Crouch to account.
"We will always support anyone who tells us about witnessing or experiencing this sort of behaviour, because without them it goes unchecked.
"Initially, the Legally Qualified Chair in this hearing ruled that Crouch’s name should be kept anonymous on the basis that he watches football at the weekend and may be subject to hostility from other fans if they found out he was a police officer.
"We fundamentally disagreed with this, and collected evidence to successfully appeal the Chair’s decision so we could openly report his name.
"It is absolutely vital that we are open, transparent, and accountable if we are to restore public confidence in policing."
