PC who held scissors to colleague’s face banned from serving as police officer
A former police constable with Hampshire Constabulary who held a pair of scissors up to a female colleague’s face leaving her scared of being “sliced” has been banned from serving as a police officer following a misconduct hearing.
After Simon Hawxwell was challenged by the woman for saying the force should hire “a female with massive tits”, he responded by telling her to “shut your dirty little whore mouth” and called her a “little slut”, the hearing was told.
The disciplinary panel also heard that the former officer then picked up the bladed item and put it inches from the woman’s cheek, in what he later claimed was a joke. She said she was left feeling panicked and shocked by the incident at Portsmouth Central police station.
The display came the day after Mr Hawxwell was accused of putting his arm around the same woman’s throat and asked her if she liked being “choked”, the panel heard.
The disciplinary panel described his behaviour as an attempt at “dark sexual humour”, and said he became “more aggressive and threatening”. He was found guilty of gross misconduct on Tuesday (June 8).
Mr Hawxwell, who refused to appear before the misconduct hearing, quit Hampshire Constabulary following the incidents in June 2020. Had he still been a serving officer he would have been sacked from the force, panel chair Alice Sims said. He will be placed on the police barred list, which lists officers, special constables and staff members who have been dismissed from policing.
The former officer, who had 18 years’ experience at the time of the incidents last year, had denied gross misconduct over the two allegations and said anything that happened was meant as a joke.
Giving evidence on Monday, the female member of staff – referred to as Officer A – said Mr Hawxwell’s arm around her neck was “painful” and made it difficult to breathe.
She added: “It did happen very quickly but I could feel it pushing on my windpipe. It was quite shocking when the words followed, because I wasn’t expecting to hear that.”
The following day, Mr Hawxwell was talking to another colleague in the police station about potential staff vacancies. He was alleged to have remarked: “It doesn’t matter if they are right for the job, we want a female with massive tits.”
Officer A told the hearing: “I do not think he liked the fact that I had answered back.”
He then picked up a pair of scissors with the blade open and held them about two inches from her face, leaving her in fear of being “sliced”.
Mr Hawxwell claimed his actions were meant as a joke and denied putting the scissors close to her face or using the language alleged.
His police federation representative Philip Callard said: “There seems to be that culture in the office and he seems to have taken it one step too far.”
