A Devon and Cornwall Police officer has been cleared of criminal charges but will now proceed through a separate misconduct process. Fiona Anderson, 33, was found not guilty on 28 September 2026 at Bristol Crown Court of two counts of sexual assault relating to an incident in Cardiff in 2018. Despite her acquittal, the force confirmed she remains suspended and subject to ongoing disciplinary proceedings under police conduct regulations.
Anderson was accused of sexually assaulting a woman following a night out. According to reporting on the case, prosecutors alleged the two counts involved oral sex without consent and touching the complainant's vagina without consent. The complainant told the jury that Anderson had said:
I know the law and I need you to say yes.
Anderson denied the allegations, telling the court:
I would never say anything like that.During her evidence, she stated she was "very drunk" and could not recall much of what occurred that evening. The jury deliberated and returned not guilty verdicts on both charges following a week-long trial.
The complainant did not initially report the allegation until March 2023, according to court reporting, after speaking to police about a separate incident. Anderson had been a police officer since 2015, meaning she had served for approximately eight years at the time of the alleged assault.
In a statement following the verdict, Devon and Cornwall Police said:
We acknowledge the outcome reached by the court and thank all those involved in the investigation and judicial process. The criminal case has now concluded. However, the officer remains subject to an ongoing misconduct process under police conduct regulations.The force added it would be inappropriate to comment further on specific circumstances while those proceedings continue.
What is the misconduct process?
Police misconduct hearings operate under separate regulations from criminal courts and use a different standard of proof. While a criminal conviction requires proof beyond reasonable doubt, misconduct proceedings typically apply the civil standard of the balance of probabilities. This means an officer can be found to have breached conduct standards even if acquitted in criminal court, as the threshold for establishing misconduct is lower.
Context of police sexual misconduct cases
Anderson's case arrives amid broader scrutiny of sexual misconduct within policing. In July 2026, a police officer was jailed for 10 years for raping two women and abusing a third, with an earlier rape allegation from 2014 having been dropped, which allowed him to continue working. Police Scotland later apologised for communication failures in that case. Additionally, two officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland were dismissed in May 2026 following special hearings for sexual misconduct, with one having prior convictions for sexual assault and the other found guilty of sexual assault in court.
In August 2026, a former South Wales Police constable appeared in court charged with rape, strangulation, and misconduct offences allegedly committed while on duty. Such cases have prompted renewed calls for enhanced vetting and accountability measures within police forces across the United Kingdom.
What happens next?
Anderson remains suspended from Devon and Cornwall Police pending the outcome of the misconduct hearing. The force has not announced a date for those proceedings to commence. The misconduct process will examine whether her conduct fell below the standards expected of police officers, independent of the criminal court's findings.
