Former PC who was ‘disrespectful’ to domestic abuse victim guilty of gross misconduct

Avon and Somerset Constabulary said Mark Stickley would have been dismissed had he not already resigned due to ill health.

The misconduct panel heard Stickley had used “inappropriate, unprofessional, disrespectful and discourteous language” when attending an incident in October 2018.

On Tuesday (April 7) it found all allegations against Stickley proven, in breach of the standards of professional behaviour expected of him.

These included the way he failed to show compassion or treat a domestic abuse victim fairly, made an inaccurate recording of the incident and engaged in behaviour that would bring the police service into disrepute.

Superintendent Deryck Rees, Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s lead on domestic abuse, said: “I first of all want to apologise to the victim in this case. We as a force pride ourselves on doing our upmost to protect victims of all crime and we set a high standard for all our officers to make sure they protect the public. On this occasion Mr Stickley fell significantly short of meeting that standard.

“Mr Stickley’s actions on that day are not representative of our force and I welcome today’s judgment. It was important to hold a hearing into the very serious allegations against Mr Stickley to ensure that, if proven, he would be placed on the Police Barred List.

“I hope the action we have taken today provides reassurance how seriously we as a force take matters of domestic abuse and that we will not accept any failings by officers who do not prioritise public safety.

“We take all reports of domestic abuse extremely seriously and at this difficult time we are working closely with safeguarding teams and local domestic abuse support organisations to make sure that victims will continue to receive the help and support they need to keep them safe.”