Former MPS detective barred from policing after ‘inappropriate relationship’ with abuse victim

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said Detective Constable Joseph Gilligan, who resigned in February last year, would have been dismissed without notice had he still been a serving officer.

He has been placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing him from future employment within the police service.

The MPS said the former officer’s behaviour was “completely unacceptable”, adding that people like him were “not welcome” in the force.

The misconduct hearing heard that on March 26, 2019, former Det Con Gilligan, who was attached to the North West Basic Command Unit, was appointed as the officer in charge of an investigation where a woman accused her former partner of domestic abuse. On June 20, 2019, he “abused his position of trust and started an improper sexual relationship with the victim”.

The MPS added that on October 28, 2019, the former detective constable made an unauthorised disclosure when he shared sensitive images and footage with the victim from a serious sexual assault investigation he was dealing with.

The hearing also heard that between January 4, 2020, and February 11, 2020, he carried out four unauthorised searches for which there was no policing purpose in relation to the victim and her former partner.

The force said that on December 19, 2019, he forwarded confidential emails from his MPS police work account to his personal email account regarding criminal investigations into or concerning the victim, her former partner and other members of the public.

And between December 1, 2019, and December 11, 2019, former Det Con Gilligan accessed the victim’s mobile phone on three occasions without her consent – twice at her house and one at the police station where he worked. He viewed text messages and photos on the phone, deleted photographs and viewed a work conversation recorded on the phone. On one occasion he filmed himself reading a text message she had sent to a work colleague and sent the recording to another person.

Finally, the hearing heard that on November 29, 2019, he crashed his personal car into a vehicle in a police station car park. At the time of the collision it is alleged he was over the drink-drive limit and so he failed to report the collision when it happened. Instead, he reported it the following day and untruthfully said the collision happened because he had suffered a diabetic episode.

The independent chair Cameron Brown, and panel members, considered all of the evidence and found that the allegations against former Det Con Gilligan were proven to have breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct, confidentiality, honesty and integrity, and authority, respect and courtesy at a level of gross misconduct.

The hearing followed a thorough investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following a referral from the MPS in February 2020.

The IOPC said its investigation, which concluded in June 2021, looked at allegations that the officer had formed an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman he met during the course of his duties, adding: “Evidence we gathered indicated that he had accessed information relating to her on police computer systems.

“He shared sensitive data with the woman, including custody images of a suspect for a serious sexual assault and a picture of the victim.”

The IOPC said a file of evidence was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, which made the decision not to authorise charges against former Det Con Gilligan.

IOPC Regional Director Sal Naseem said: “Former Det Con Gilligan formed a relationship with a woman who was a victim of domestic violence and therefore was potentially vulnerable.

“Actions like this undermine the public’s trust in police officers, who should also know that it is entirely inappropriate to use police computer systems for personal reasons, as he was found to have done.

“Former Det Con Gilligan has now left policing and his name will be put on the barred list so he cannot rejoin in the future.”

Chief Superintendent Sara Leach, who is in charge of policing for the North West Area Basic Command Unit, said: “Former Det Con Gilligan’s behaviour was completely unacceptable and I am pleased that he is no longer a serving officer – people like him are not welcome in our Met. His actions fell far below the rigorous values and standards that we strive to uphold.

“Officers should be doing everything in their power to protect victims, they should not be abusing their position of trust and power to form relationships with them.

“The trust of the public is fundamental to our core purpose of keeping London safe. Our communities deserve the best of its police officers and this kind of behaviour has no place at all in the Met.

“We only want the best and I hope this demonstrates that we will always act when our employees fall below the exemplary standards we and the public expect. Our professional standards team will continue to root out wrong-doing and hold those responsible to account.”