PC 'made sexual remarks' about girls and colleagues

A police officer made sexualised and inappropriate comments about female colleagues and members of the public, including a missing teenage victim of sexual assault, a misconduct hearing has found.

Julian Bishop, formerly a Leicestershire Police constable, made dozens of "degrading" comments to fellow officers between November 2020 and November 2023, a panel was told.

On one occasion, when searching for a 15-year-old victim of sexual assault, he said: "I don't understand why he would do something with her, she hasn't even got that good a figure."

A total of 30 allegations of misconduct offences made against Bishop were found proven at a hearing held at the force's headquarters in Leicestershire.

The ex-officer would have been dismissed if he had not already stepped down in February this year, the hearing concluded.

Bishop, who had served for four years and 10 months, was absent from the hearing but denied engaging in sexual harassment in advance.

A report outlining the outcomes of the hearing, which was held in March, said his behaviour was "prolonged, persistent, and targeted".

Some of the proven allegations were made about children, including in April 2023 while driving past girls dressed in uniform outside a school, when he commented that one of them was attractive.

When challenged by his colleague, who said that the child was about 14 years old, he replied that it was still OK to say she was attractive and had a good body or figure.

The hearing heard that about a dozen different female officers made allegations against him, including one, referred to as "PC F", who Bishop made an inappropriate sexual joke to when she accidentally touched his knee.

He also encouraged her to walk ahead of him and made comments to the effect of: "After you, so I can see the view", a report said.

On another occasion, his colleague "PC A" yawned and said she "could not wait to get into bed", to which he made an inappropriate remark to the effect of: "Is that an invite?"

Bishop also made numerous comments about women's bodies and breasts, their sexuality and their weight, the report said.

One officer, referred to as "PC L", said she was filled with "dread and anxiety" at the thought of working with the officer.

Bishop had said there were generational differences between him and the officers with whom he worked because there was a big age gap, the report said.

He said he did not make sexual innuendos all the time, just now and again, and he did not accept that he had breached the standards of professional behaviour.

The hearing was told that the conduct was at the "upper end of the spectrum of seriousness due to the level of culpability".

The report added: "The proven conduct amounted to harassing behaviour on the grounds of sex and/or sexuality on the basis that it was unwanted conduct related to protected characteristics.

"[It] had, at the very least, the effect of violating the complainant officers' dignity, and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them."

Det Supt Chris Baker, from Leicestershire Police, said Bishop's behaviour was "not acceptable".

He added: "Officers and staff should be able to come to work without concern they are going to be subject to inappropriate, unwanted comments from colleagues."

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