Herts PC sacked for behaviour towards female colleagues

A police officer who went by the names “Chris Casanova” and “Danger” has lost his job after telling his female colleagues they were “worldies” and “hot”.

PC 884 Christopher Kelly, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, said in a training session one female officer from another class “had a banging body but an ugly face” – one of the allegations which a police misconduct panel found proved in a hearing earlier in November.

According to one woman, named in a report as Witness 2, PC Kelly took her notebook out of her rucksack while she was wearing it and said: “Ah Witness 2, I know your surname now”.

The misconduct report details a catalogue of incidents dated between May 3 and July 28, 2022.

Panel members found he had positioned himself facing Witness 2 in the ‘bleep test’ fitness challenge, described her as a “rocket” and, while speaking to her through an open car window, looked at her crotch and legs.

“Some of his victims appeared to brush off his behaviour,” the panel’s ruling read.

“But at least one – Witness 2 – described the impact that his behaviour was having on her, on one occasion not attending a bleep test because she knew Kelly was going to be there and making her feel like she did not want to come to work.”

The report adds PC Kelly also positioned himself facing another colleague, Witness 1, in a bleep test.

He described her as a “worldie” and a “10 out of 10”, and told her another female officer’s legs “look fat”.

PC Kelly asked Witness 3 “if she wanted to go to the cinema with him and added that she could share his popcorn as long as it was in his lap”.

He described Witness 4 and a fifth female colleague as “absolute worldies” on May 23, 2022.

The Hertfordshire Constabulary officer “made a habit of parking his car close to Witness 4 at the Gosling Sports Centre in Welwyn Garden City”, said he would sleep with her, and, in a conversation about the bleep test, said to her: “I bet you have great stamina elsewhere – I bet you could go for hours.”

PC Kelly admitted using the phrases “worldie” and “10 out of 10” to describe female colleagues.

He told members of the misconduct process he would “joke around” with Witness 1, and that he had not intended to make witnesses 4 and 5 “feel uncomfortable”.

The officer also admitted positioning himself next to witnesses 1 and 2 but claimed he stood “where there was available space and for no ulterior motive”.

According to the panel, PC Kelly claimed his comment about popcorn “was not an attempt at sexual innuendo” and said his “stamina” remark referred to general fitness.

He denied telling Witness 4 he bet she could “go for hours” and said he did not park his car deliberately close to hers.

“Kelly … claims that Witness 2’s notebook was falling out of her rucksack, that he then handed it back to her and said that he now knew her name,” the report notes.

“Kelly … said that it had not been his purpose or intention to behave in a way which would violate the dignity of, or create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for his female colleagues.”

The panel found proved all except one listed allegation – that he had asked for a person’s “name, number and bra size” while at the Gosling Sports Centre.

In their decision report, the misconduct panel detailed some evidence from the witnesses.

Witness 6 “said that Witness 1 had tried to make it obvious to Kelly that she was not interested in him and that when he started to call her wifey, Witness 1 told him that she would not marry anyone who was not from New Zealand”.

The report adds: “Witness 3 described how it was only after Kelly had persisted in trying to persuade her to go to the cinema with him that she had finally relented ‘just so she could get some peace and quiet’.

“She described feeling grossed out by the comment Kelly admits to having made about the popcorn.”

It continues: “Witness 1 statement recounted that Kelly had a number of nicknames: ‘Chris Casanova’, ‘Danger’ and ‘Predator Kelly’ that his colleagues had given him and that he loved and was proud of them.”

Andrew Hearn, panel chair, wrote: “The Panel considered this to be a serious case of repeated misogyny and inappropriate behaviour towards female officers which occurred in their workplace where they should feel safe and free from any form of harassment including from persistent unwanted attention.”

PC Kelly was dismissed without notice but had already tendered his resignation with 28 days’ notice on October 19, 2023.

Hertfordshire Chief Constable Charlie Hall said: “There is no place for the likes of Kelly in Hertfordshire Constabulary.

“Abuse towards women perpetrated by a police officer in whatever setting, and whether on or off duty, will always harm public confidence in policing and is counter to the values of modern policing and the Standards of Professional Behaviour.

“I take reassurance that Kelly’s entirely inappropriate behaviour was recognised by his colleagues, both male and female, at an early stage during training and they had the courage to call it out and report it.

“I applaud their actions – especially as many of them were young in service and much younger than Kelly.

“Their actions represent exactly what we expect to see in policing, Kelly’s precisely the opposite.”

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