A video of someone having sex with a dog on his phone was handed to a police officer who specialized in assisting vulnerable victims, and the officer was compelled to resign in shame.
PC On a WhatsApp group for football fans, which had 43 members, Phillip Taylor received a video of someone having sex with an animal.
However, a police disciplinary tribunal was informed that PC Taylor did not remove the offending content; rather, he retained it until it was found 12 months later.
The officer, who had worked for Cleveland Police for 19 years and had been assigned to the “vulnerability unit,” quit after taking an adult warning from his coworkers.
A request by the former officer to have the hearing in secret so as to save his family from shame was denied by Chief Constable Mark Webster.
Due to the former officer’s position within the force, Detective Constable Susan Moore, who conducted the investigation against the officer, stated his behavior was “unforgivable” and that he had engaged in severe misconduct.
There can be no denying that this kind of behavior is much below what is expected of a police officer, the speaker remarked.
Taylor admitting receiving, viewing, and storing the film during the Stockton on Tees disciplinary hearing, but failing to inform superiors of its existence.
Such conduct is unacceptable, particularly coming from an officer in the vulnerability unit, said DC Moore. He had this video on his phone for almost a year.
The footage was given to the officer in February 2021, but it wasn’t discovered until it was retrieved from his mobile phone a year later.
He was issued a warning in June of this year, and the following month, he left the police.
In a “expedited” proceeding, a police disciplinary tribunal heard his case.
Only where there is sufficient evidence to prove on the balance of probability that the officer’s behavior constituted gross misconduct and it is thought to be in the public interest for the officer to resign from the force immediately, are these cases pursued.
The evidence that Taylor violated the Standards of Professional Behaviour with regard to discreditable behavior, according to Mr. Webster, is “irrefutable.”
The cop, he said, “confessed this in interrogation, accepted a criminal warning, acknowledged the gravity of the offense, and acknowledged that the video was revolting.”
According to Peter Littlewood of the Cleveland Police Federation, the former officer has expressed regret for his actions and any disgrace they may have brought upon the department.
The former officer should be put on the Police Barred List, according to Mr. Webster, which would prevent him from joining any other agency in the nation.
He said, “His conduct was abhorrent, and I will not tolerate it in my force. There are many fine cops on our force, and they will applaud this decision because they will not tolerate such behavior either.