Met Police officer 'told pregnant colleague she laid back like a whore' and used word from The Inbetweeners
A Metropolitan Police Officer has been issued with a final warning after a panel found allegations proven to be Gross Misconduct. Police Sergeant Paul Hollis was alleged to have told a female colleague that she was getting 'special treatment' because she 'laid back like a whore'.
A second allegation detailed that PS Hollis sent her a WhatsApp message that read: "I can still smell your clunge in the back office." The female officer told a panel that she was allowed to leave early due to pregnancy-related back pain.
As she was leaving, she said, PS Hollis said to her 'something like': “Bit of a joke as you get to leave early and getting special treatment as you laid back like a whore.” Under cross-examination, police documents detailed, the female officer stated that she 'got on well' with PS Hollis, and that she 'didn’t consider him to be a bad man'.
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She added that he 'wouldn’t say a comment like that to just anyone'. When questioned, the Met says that PS Morris said that he 'did not remember' using the word 'whore'. The sergeant then went on to say that he was 'just using banter to make the day go by', and that he would 'never discriminate against a pregnant lady'. Investigators accepted the allegation 'in its entirety'.
Officer left 'shocked'
Regarding the second allegation, the female officer stated that she understood the word 'clunge' to mean 'vagina', and that she knew the term from The Inbetweeners. She said she felt 'shocked', because PS Hollis had 'not said something like this before'.
She 'told him that it was disgusting', PS Hollis 'agreed', and then they both 'laughed it off'. The officer added that she 'did not consider [PS Hollis] to have any sexual interest in her or to be a predator', and that it was 'just a joke'.
Therefore, she 'didn’t feel the need to take it further'. PS Hollis admitted sending the message, stating that he had seen his colleague on CCTV and 'sent it to shock her'.
He added that he 'wanted to see her reaction', and that he 'thought it was a joke' - they would 'both have a laugh'. The Met said that PS Hollis also claimed that: "There was never any intention to create a hostile environment and he has regretted sending it every day since."
The panel found that, while the harm was unintentional, PS Hollis 'could have reasonably foreseen that by using the words 'whore' and 'clunge' there was a risk of harm'. Investigators also found no harassment, nor predatory behaviour, nor 'any desire for sexual relationship or issues of misogyny'. But, there was 'reputational harm as the comments would harm public confidence'.
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