Following a gross misconduct hearing, it has been determined that he would have been dismissed had he still been a serving police officer. "Ex PC-Hidden continued a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman, who was a victim of crime, over a number of months despite knowing his conduct was wrong. At the outset of their service, it is made clear to officers that it is unacceptable to have, or seek, inappropriate and unprofessional contact with members of the public who they deal with through their professional duties. IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: "Cases such as these have the real potential to impact on public confidence in policing. It was decided he would have been dismissed had he still been serving. PC Hidden resigned from the force last year.Įarlier today (May 9), a panel determined that the former officer had breached the standards of professional behaviour in a number of areas including authority, respect and courtesy, confidentiality and discreditable conduct. At the end of the investigation in May 2021, a report was submitted to the force with IOPC's view that PC Hidden had a case to answer for gross misconduct. IOPC investigators interviewed the officer under caution, examined his mobile phone and obtained statements from several witnesses, including the woman. An IOPC investigation began in May 2020 following a referral regarding the officer's conduct from West Mercia Police. PC Hidden had also accessed police systems to view information about the woman without a legitimate policing purpose. A number of sexually graphic images were shared between the PC's work issue mobile phone and the woman. Some of the messages sent by the officer while he was on duty were of a sexual nature. READ MORE: Teen charged after three men injured in alleged Palfrey Park stabbing He had consensual sex with the woman on several occasions, including while on duty, up until April 2020.Īn investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that between December 2019 and May 2020, there were more than 5,500 WhatsApp messages exchanged between the officer and the woman, with only a small proportion relating to a policing matter. PC Hidden, who was based in Shropshire, attended to the woman's home in December 2019 and they began a consensual sexual relationship shortly after. Mark Hidden, 42, began an inappropriate relationship with the vulnerable woman after she reported a domestic incident. A former West Mercia Police officer exchanged thousands of messages with a female crime victim, an investigation has found.
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