A police officer who has been accused of twice groping the bum of a colleague while on a night out is facing a misconduct hearing.
The panel heard how the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was left shocked when the incident happened ‘out of the blue’ while they out celebrating at a colleague’s leaving do.
Alexander Parkes is alleged to have placed his hand on the woman’s back before slowly sliding it down onto her bum and squeezing it.
The Cleveland Police officer, who has since left the force, was spotted by another colleague when he repeated his unwanted behaviour while they were standing at the bar in the Slug and Lettuce in Durham city centre.
Read next: Drug addict who turned to dealing to pay £3,000 debt given chance by judge
During her evidence, the officer said she was shocked by her colleague’s behaviour on May 15 last year.
She said: “He had his hand on my back and it went slowly down until he was squeezing my right bum cheek.
“It felt like it lasted a few seconds.”
Russell Fortt, representing the police force, asked her how she reacted to it.
She replied: “I turned my body, hoping he would get the message – I didn’t want to make a scene.”
The woman said the former officer then carried out the same manoeuvre a short while later before he walked away from the bar.
Joan Smith, representing Mr Parkes, put it to the witness that any touching was purely accidental and had not 'groped' her bum in a sexual manner.
The woman replied: “I don’t agree with that, not the way that I felt it.”
Mr Parkes is accused of breaching the standards of professional behaviour for police officers, specifically the standards of - authority, respect, and courtesy - and discreditable conduct.
Temporary Sergeant Chris Dove told the panel that he initially thought the pair may have been in a relationship and the act was consensual but his opinion changed after he spoke to the woman.
He said: “She didn’t want him to do it but didn’t feel like she could move his hand out of the way.
“After that, I realised it was not consensual, it was done without her consent. He then left the bar through one of the doors.”
Read more:
- Murder victim's brother went off the rails as family tragedy caused turmoil
- Former Police officer accused of messaging domestic violence victim on Instagram
- Homeless burglar jailed for stealing £600 worth of power tools from Darlington garage
Get all the latest crime and court updates, for less than the price of a coffee, with a Premium Plus digital subscription to The Northern Echo. Click here
Miss Smith asked him why he didn’t say anything to his client at the time and the officer reiterated that he thought the touching was consensual until after he spoke to the complainant.
If it is proven that the allegations amount to gross misconduct the ex-officer will be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list which will prevent him from working for any other force in the country.
The ex-officer is expected to give his evidence in the morning (Wednesday, October 4).
The hearing continues.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article