PC sacked for sharing 'inappropriate material'

A police officer has been sacked after sharing "inappropriate material with a member of the public for his own sexual gratification".

Ex-PC Joshua Harper was found to have breached policing standards of professional behaviour, committing gross misconduct, at a hearing at Wiltshire Police's headquarters on Friday.

The panel's chair considered four allegations against Harper, two of which have been upheld, meaning he was struck off without notice.

He has also been placed on the national barred list, meaning he will not be able to work in policing in the future.

Deputy Ch Con Mark Cooper said Harper's actions had gone "against everything we stand for in policing".

He said Harper had "shared inappropriate material with a member of the public for his own sexual gratification and, in the process, undermined the trust that the public place in us to serve them according to the highest possible standards".

"We continue to act robustly where behaviour is reported to us that falls short of what our communities expect and deserve. We will not stop until we root out behaviours such as those displayed by PC Harper from our organisation."

Harper has 10 days to make an appeal against the ruling.

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