Police officer dismissed without notice after misconduct hearing
PC Ashley Weller had already appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment.
A police officer in Gloucestershire has been dismissed without notice following a misconduct hearing.
Back in September, PC Ashley Weller appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment.
Weller published social media posts between 25 and 27 December last year, distressed both his Sergeant and her sister.
He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, given a 12-month restraining order and told to adhere to an eight week curfew. In addition, Weller also had to pay compensation, fines and court costs.
At the subsequent police misconduct hearing yesterday, it was found that PC Weller’s actions amounted to gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice.
The chair of the hearing, Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson said: “PC Weller admitted in court that his actions were criminal, for which he has already been held to account by magistrates.
“Now that the court case has concluded, a misconduct process has taken place to determine whether he is fit to remain working for Gloucestershire Police and allowed to continue serving the public.
“Officers, staff and those who we serve should always feel safe interacting with every employee of Gloucestershire Police and behaviour such as that committed by PC Weller presents a real threat to the trust and confidence people have in us as a service and must be dealt with robustly.
“There is no place in our organisation for anyone who bullies or harasses a colleague or any member of the public and after hearing all the facts of the case, it was clear to me his actions are incompatible with the standards expected of a police officer and the only option is dismissal.”