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PC who engaged in sex acts with officer at police station gets final warning

A police constable who admitted engaging in sex acts with a senior officer at their police station has been given a final written warning.

PC Jemma Dicks, 28, broke into tears after receiving the decision, having heard a panel conclude her actions amounted to gross misconduct.

She was told the warning would last for 18 months, and any future misconduct during that time could lead to her dismissal.

PC Dicks was said to have brought the reputation of the police service into disrepute after performing sex acts on ex-sergeant Adam Reed, 40, at Cardiff Central police station on at least three occasions.

A misconduct hearing was told that although PC Dicks's actions damaged the service's reputation, she had not sought to cover up the episodes and showed "genuine remorse".

Mr Reed was not subject to the proceedings as he has left the force.

The hearing was also told "predatory" Mr Reed would have been dismissed without notice from South Wales Police for "orchestrating" the encounters if he had not already quit after facing allegations.

As a result of the decision, his name will be placed on the policing barred list.

PC Dicks did not deliberately set out to have sex at work and while on duty, and was having "very difficult family circumstances" at the time after her police officer father died, said panel chairwoman Emma Boothroyd.

The panel head also referred to testimonials from PC Dicks's colleagues that she was a "hard-working, diligent officer", and was unlikely to repeat her conduct.

The hearing was previously told married father-of-two Mr Reed had "manipulated" PC Dicks during their 10-month affair, with the younger officer seeing him as a replacement for her father Mark Dicks.

The session was told that PC Dicks performing sex acts on Mr Reed between November 2017 and August 2018 - including once while she was on duty - was a "serious breach of professional behaviour".

PC Dicks, who was supported by a domestic violence charity, told the hearing she willingly performed the acts to please Mr Reed and to avoid upsetting him, believing they were in a relationship and after he had made threats to kill himself.

The hearing was told images on Mr Reed's phone showed he had sexual encounters with another police colleague as well as three civilian women around the time he was meeting PC Dicks, all while he remained with his wife.

PC Dicks said Mr Reed was abusive and controlling during their affair, saying he accused her of sleeping with other men, and often went through her phone messages, refusing her access to her friends and events.

PC Dicks is working in the force's incident resolution team, where officers deal with matters over the phone which do not require a police callout.

Three separate allegations facing Mr Reed, who left the force in January 2019, were also found proven, amounting to gross misconduct.