Cleveland Police officer who failed to safeguard woman and tried to cover up mistake sacked form force

A Cleveland Police officer who made a false and misleading report of an incident involving a woman who was later the victim of a domestic assault has been dismissed form the force and barred from the police service.

In March 2019, PC Robert Coffey addressed a domestic incident while on patrol in Hartlepool town centre. Both the man and woman involved in the incident appeared to have suffered injuries and PC Coffey took the woman home.

The following day, the same woman was found with facial injuries after officers were called to her home address. The man she had been with the night before was arrested for assault.

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An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found PC Coffey did not take the necessary steps to safeguard the woman who was assaulted. They also found his entry on the force computer system for the incident did not accurately reflect the situation and considered it to be misleading.

On conclusion of the investigation, The IOPC found PC Coffey had a case to answer for gross misconduct, and Cleveland Police agreed. A Gross Misconduct hearing concluded on Friday, November 22, 2024.

The hearing found former PC Robert Coffey guilty of Gross Misconduct. Coffey was dismissed form the force with immediate effect and will be barred from the police service.

The IOPC also referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided in May 2020 to charge PC Coffey with corrupt or improper exercise of police powers. He denied this and a trial went ahead in June 2023.

During the hearing, the CPS made the decision to withdraw the prosecution against PC Coffey. Following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings, Cleveland Police made arrangements for the misconduct hearing.

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Littlewood, Head of Cleveland Police’s Counter Corruption and Vetting Unit, said: “Robert Coffey’s failure to uphold the standards of professional behaviour rightly expected of police officers, led to a vulnerable victim coming to harm. Coffey not only let the force down, but he let down a vulnerable woman who needed our help and protection – and that is much worse.

“His lack of action, absence of any investigation, and the subsequent lies he told, rightly means he has been found guilty of gross misconduct, dismissed from Cleveland Police.

“People like Coffey are not welcome in Cleveland Police. We continue to have vigorous processes in place, both before officers and staff join the force, but also during their service, which mean we can root out any discreditable conduct and lack of standards in behaviour. Where we find these cases, we will always take robust action.”

IOPC Regional Director Emily Barry said: “PC Coffey’s mistakes in dealing with the initial incident were compounded by his decisions first not to make a record of it and then to try and cover it up. His dishonesty betrayed the trust placed in the police by members of the public and risked undermining the hard work of his colleagues.

“I would like to commend the actions of a more junior officer for raising their concerns about his actions. Their integrity ensured PC Coffey faced a thorough investigation and has now been held accountable.”

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