Durham PC dismissed after slapping boy in face in Spennymoor

PC Nicola Voke Williams was let go from Durham Constabulary on Tuesday (September 19) after a misconduct panel found she had demonstrated gross misconduct with her actions. 

Dismissing her from the force, the chief constable of Durham Police, Jo Farell, said that the police officer had shown no remorse and noted that not dismissing her would "undermine public confidence" in the police as a whole.

Read more: Police officer 'could not stop' in fatal Spennymoor crash

During the hearing, which was conducted at Durham Police Headquarters at Aykley Heads in Durham, the panel heard that PC Voke Williams and a colleague had attended an incident on High Street in Spennymoor in February 2022 after reports of anti-social behaviour. 

During the response call, the two police officers had parked their vehicle, which had then rolled back, sparking several youths to shout "useless" at PC Voke Williams and her colleague. 

After confronting one of the teenagers, a 15-year-old boy, the PC, who had 21 years of service in frontline policing, lifted up the teenager by his lapels and struck him on his right cheek, before dragging him to the side of the police car. 

PC Voke Williams strikes the teenager in Spennymoor (Image: HANDOUT)

In her interview, PC Voke Williams alleged that she had used "reasonable force", believing that the 15-year-old was about to spit at her, due to him puckering up his lips; an allegation that was later dismissed.

In the aftermath of the incident in Spennymoor in 2022, PC Voke Williams initially appeared at Cleveland Magistrates' Court in November 2022, where she pleading not guilty to assault but was found guilty of the offence.  

She was given a six-month suspended discharge and ordered to pay court costs.

Her appeal at Teesside Crown Court on August 26 was also dismissed, and the police officer was handed a further £425 court costs.

Durham Police HQ (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

At the misconduct hearing on Tuesday, which PC Voke Williams didn't attend due to health issues, the panel considered whether the actions of the officer 'breached professional standards'. 

In the proceedings, representatives of the now-dismissed PC tried to get the hearing adjourned, citing that deteriorating health was the reason behind her not attending. 

However, with no timeframe given by her representatives of when it should be adjourned and no new evidence of what happened during the incident, it was ruled that it was in the public interest to go ahead with the hearing.

In what was a three-hour misconduct panel hearing, those present heard how, following the incident, the 15-year-old who was hit by PC Voke Williams lacks trust in the police - which Durham chief constable Jo Farrell noted as a "worrying trend". 

Footage of PC Voke Williams assaulting the teenage was released (Image: HANDOUT)

The lack of remorse by PC Voke Williams was also noted by the misconduct panel, which saw her plead her innocence at every stage of criminal and professional proceedings. 

Summing up the reasons for PC Voke Williams' dismissal, Chief Constable Jo Farell highlighted the conduct as "well below the par" of what is expected of police officers in a time where confidence in the police is "low".

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She also noted that a police officer with 21 years of service and a good record before the incident shouldn't have been goaded by a group of teenagers on the day in question. 

The chief constable added: "After consideration, the officer has been convicted of a crime. 

"A final written warning would be insufficient and would undermine faith in the police by the public. 

"I could not guarantee that the officer wouldn't act in a similar way."