North Yorkshire Police officer banned from force after filming himself performing sex actEx-Harrogate police officer banned from force after sexual assault hearingHarrogate police officer sacked after ‘misleading’ the force

A Harrogate police officer has been sacked after misleading North Yorkshire Police during its vetting process.

Christopher Hudson faced four allegations at a misconduct hearing in Northallerton last week.

Mr Hudson was alleged to have acted dishonestly, including failing to declare he was friends with a convicted criminal and failing to notify the force he had been involved in a criminal investigation in 2006.

Lisa Winward, chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, said the misconduct had the potential to seriously affect the “the trust and the confidence in the service”.

Misleading the force

The 32-year-old, who had previously been suspended following an allegation of sexual assault in Harrogate for which he was later acquitted, had first applied to North Yorkshire Police in November 2017.

He completed a vetting application on February 27, 2018.

However, the hearing, which was overseen by chief constable Lisa Winward, found Mr Hudson had been dishonest and misleading during the process.

He failed to declare he was associated with convicted criminal Richard Calvert, who he had visited on seven separate occasions at HMP Wealstun near Wetherby between June 2012 and October 2014.

Calvert was jailed for six years for robbery in April 2012.

Mr Hudson, who is from Huddersfield but had been based in Harrogate, had claimed Calvert was “purely someone whom I know by name from my youth”.

However, the hearing found he had visited him on multiple occasions and was arrested alongside him for arson.

It also found that Mr Hudson had called Calvert to wish him happy birthday during an 18-minute phone call.

The hearing found Mr Hudson failed to supply the correct information about being arrested for arson and criminal damage in 2006.

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In a previous application for a PCSO role to West Yorkshire Police in 2016, Mr Hudson said he had been arrested at the age of 14 for “playing football on private property” and was later released.

Officers at the force then confirmed he was arrested for both criminal damage and arson in 2006 after speaking to Mr Hudson.

A year later in his application to North Yorkshire Police, he only declared that he gave a statement to West Yorkshire Police over “an arson in my neighbourhood”. He failed to declare his arrest for criminal damage and arson.

Meanwhile, the hearing found he also failed to declare he had four siblings. Instead, he named one “half sister” during the application.

Mr Hudson  also failed to declare he had two county court judgements against him. In his application, he only declared one.

Dishonest behaviour could be repeated

Lisa Winward

Chief constable Lisa Winward

In her decision notice, chief constable Winward said the force had “no confidence” Mr Hudson’s dishonest behaviour would not be repeated.

She said:

“There is no confidence that the officer’s dishonest behaviour would not be repeated in the future given the multiple opportunities during this investigation for him to offer a truthful explanation for his actions. Indeed, he appears to have continued to embellish events into further untruths.

“Therefore, the only sanction appropriate in this case is dismissal without notice and the officer will be placed on the barred list.”

Ms Winward added:

“I also bear in mind that the misconduct of a single officer can tarnish the reputation of a force and the service as a whole and undermine the trust and confidence that members of the public have in North Yorkshire Police. 

“I bear in mind that should the public feel that improper behaviour on the part of police officers is left unchecked and they are not held accountable for it in a suitable manner, then public confidence in the police, and North Yorkshire Police in particular, will be eroded.”

Mr Hudson was dismissed from the force without notice.

Harrogate police officer keeps job after running red light and crashing

A Harrogate police officer who was found guilty of dangerous driving after running a red light at 50 miles per hour and crashing has kept her job.

DC Quita Passmore was responding to reports of an officer in distress on May 5 in 2018 when she drove through red lights at the junction of Otley Road and Cold Bath Road.

Patricia Bulmer and Janet Roberton, who were travelling in the car she hit, sustained severe injuries, including broken bones as well as a punctured lung.

Passmore received a 10-month jail term, suspended for two years, and was disqualified from driving for two years at Bradford Crown Court in February.

North Yorkshire Police subsequently held a misconduct hearing, two years after the incident, in May this year.

During the trial, Passmore admitted that her conduct amounted to gross misconduct and the panel agreed. The panel, which had the power to dismiss her, opted instead to issue a final written warning.

Following the outcome, the Stray Ferret has written several times to both the Crown Prosecution Service and North Yorkshire Police to ask when CCTV from the night of the crash, which was shown in court, would be released.

The CPS did not respond numerous times before passing the enquiry onto North Yorkshire Police. North Yorkshire Police told us it was in fact the responsibility of the CPS.

We were then told by both organisations this week that the video was “no longer contemporaneous” and would therefore not be released.

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Last week North Yorkshire Police released a compilation of video footage showing what it described as “some of the worst driving” in the county by members of the public as part of a new “fatal five” campaign focussing on the most common causes of fatalities.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“The officer faced the allegation that she had breached the standards of professional behaviour Duties and Responsibilities and Discreditable Conduct.

“The officer admitted that their conduct amounted to gross misconduct and the panel concluded the same. The outcome was a final written warning.”