A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer has been dismissed following an investigation that found he initiated a sexual relationship with a woman he encountered while performing his official duties. The Police Ombudsman's inquiry also established that he failed to disclose multiple conflicts of interest, intimidated a former partner, attempted to falsify evidence, and sought to persuade a colleague to provide false testimony.
Police Ombudsman Jacqui Durkin characterised the officer's conduct as a
"catalogue of corruption"with
"the potential to do serious damage to public trust and confidence in policing". The PSNI stated that the officer's actions were
"unacceptable and clearly falls far below the standards the public rightly expects at all times from police officers and staff".
Durkin identified the officer as Police Officer B, a constable with considerable experience, and described the allegations against him as
"one of the most serious types of police corruption". She emphasised that
"there was no place for him, or any other officer, in the PSNI who misconducts himself in this way", adding that
"This should send out a clear message to any other officers who may be involved in that type of behaviour that the consequences are that you will be dismissed."
The case emerged from an assault allegation filed in 2018 by one woman, Woman A, against another, Woman B, who subsequently filed a counter-allegation. The officer initially assigned to investigate, Police Officer A, delegated the task of taking Woman B's statement to Police Officer B. Critically, Police Officer B did not reveal that he had maintained a sexual relationship with Woman A in 2016 and remained in social contact with her.
Within a single day of meeting Woman B to record her statement, Police Officer B contacted her via Facebook and Snapchat and initiated a sexual relationship with her. The two soon began cohabiting and had a child together before their relationship dissolved in early 2020. According to PSNI anti-corruption guidance, officers must not engage in sexual or emotional relationships with members of the public they have encountered through their duties.
What additional misconduct was uncovered?
The investigation expanded to encompass a separate incident in 2021 when a woman who had previously been in a relationship with Police Officer B reported receiving a threatening anonymous letter. The letter arrived shortly after Police Officer B learned he was under investigation for his contact with vulnerable women. It contained an intimate photograph of the woman and included threats to send additional images to her family members.
The woman had shared the photograph only with her former partner, Police Officer B. Two weeks before receiving the letter, she had also received a phone notification indicating that he had downloaded all images she had shared with him. Examination of the officer's phone revealed 51 images of the woman, including intimate photographs similar to the one sent anonymously through the post.
The PSNI conducted a misconduct hearing in April, at which the panel determined that the officer had breached the PSNI Code of Ethics. He was dismissed without notice. Police Officer B was the seventh officer to be dismissed following Police Ombudsman investigations into abuse of position for sexual purposes since 2020, with a further officer receiving a written final warning.
How widespread is this problem?
Abuse of position for sexual purposes (APSP) cases currently represent 36% of the most serious investigations under way at the Police Ombudsman's Office. In March 2026, the Ombudsman reported that it was examining allegations against 20 active officers and two former officers involving 39 alleged victims. The pattern has prompted significant concern among leadership; the Police Ombudsman characterised the wider pattern as involving predatory behaviour, with six officers dismissed or convicted after investigations spanning 2018 to 2024.
The investigators at the Police Ombudsman's office devoted nearly two years to what Durkin described as a
"very complex, multi-stranded investigation". Following completion of the inquiry, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service, which issued a no prosecution decision in October 2024.
Why was no criminal prosecution pursued?
In Northern Ireland, there is no specific statutory offence of misconduct in public office; instead, it remains a common law offence. This gap in the law has complicated prosecutions. Durkin expressed hope that the new Public Office (Accountability) Bill, currently progressing through parliament, will establish a specific misconduct in public office offence. She also welcomed the Justice Bill advancing through the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Under the proposed changes, Durkin explained,
"[This will] fast track some of those cases so that we would no longer have to wait until the conclusion of a decision to prosecute". This approach would allow police to decide whether to dismiss an officer based on evidence from an ombudsman investigation, even where prosecution is not pursued.
"Where you have predatory police officers, it's important that victims or complainants... can be assured of evidence led, impartial and independent investigation", she stated.
What have police leadership said?
Chief Superintendent Stephen Murray, Head of the PSNI's professional standards department, stated that the serious misconduct identified in this case was
"unacceptable and clearly falls far below the standards the public rightly expects, at all times, from police officers and staff". He emphasised that
"Police officers are entrusted with significant powers and responsibilities. That trust must never be abused for personal or sexual gain."
Murray continued:
"Abuse of position for sexual purposes is wholly unacceptable, it is a serious abuse of authority and a breach of the trust placed in policing by the public. The behaviour found in this case was simply intolerable. It involved failures to declare conflicts of interest, dishonesty and conduct which undermined the integrity, impartiality and professionalism expected of every police officer."The dismissal without notice, he added, reflected how seriously the organisation treated such matters and
"reinforces our position that there is no place for corruption or abuse of position for sexual purposes in policing".
What regulatory changes are being considered?
The Northern Ireland Policing Board is finalising a revised PSNI Code of Ethics that will make explicit that officers must not establish or continue improper sexual relationships with victims, witnesses, suspects, detained persons, or defendants arising from their duties. PSNI guidance issued in May 2025 defines abuse of authority for sexual gain as misuse of police position, authority, or powers to pursue a sexual or emotional relationship with a member of the public.
This case forms part of a broader pattern that has prompted institutional reform. In a separate Police Ombudsman abuse-of-position investigation, another PSNI officer was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following a referral from the chief constable in May 2026, demonstrating that enforcement action continues across multiple cases.
Key Facts
- The dismissed officer initiated a sexual relationship with a woman within 24 hours of meeting her to take a statement, without disclosing his prior relationship with the complainant in the same case.
- Abuse of position for sexual purposes cases account for 36% of the Police Ombudsman's most serious live investigations, with allegations against 22 officers (20 active and two former) involving 39 alleged victims as of March 2026.
- Seven PSNI officers have been dismissed following Police Ombudsman investigations into abuse of position for sexual purposes since 2020.
- The Public Prosecution Service declined to prosecute, citing the absence of a specific statutory offence of misconduct in public office in Northern Ireland, though proposed legislation aims to address this gap.
- The Police Ombudsman investigation took nearly two years to complete and involved examination of multiple incidents, including an anonymous threatening letter containing intimate photographs.
