A female police officer drunkenly groped 2 of her male colleagues on a boozy work night out at Wetherspoons, asked one of them to have sex with her and then sent him an intimate photo, a misconduct hearing has heard.
‘Sexually provocative’ PC Tia Johnson-Warne – who used to work for Red Funnel – made advances to both men whilst sat in a booth at Wetherspoons in Ryde, a panel was told.
The officer – aged in her mid-20s – first grabbed one of the policemen, identified only as PC A, just above his knee before moving her hand up to his thigh. He stopped the encounter by excusing himself to go to the bathroom and then deliberately sat away from PC Johnson-Warne, the hearing was told.
However, she began sending him explicit text messages asking him ‘don’t you want to f**k me?’ before sending him a photo of her in her underwear.
PC A, who cannot be named for legal reasons, tried to rebuff the advances by reminding her she was seeing another officer, PC Kane Brookes, who was also at the pub in Ryde.
Later on, she rubbed her hand over the crotch of another officer, PC B, for around 20 seconds, the misconduct hearing heard.
PC B, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, told the hearing that the group were even barred from ordering more drinks because of how drunk the female officer was.
The panel also heard that on the way home from the pub PC A was in the back of a car with PC Johnson-Warne when she tried to pull his hand under her clothing.
PC Johnson-Warne is facing gross misconduct charges for the inappropriate touches. She admits touching and messaging PC A but claims it was ‘not unwelcome’ flirting and denies sexually touching PC B.
A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary misconduct hearing, held at the Holiday Inn in Eastleigh, was told the 3 officers were in the Wetherspoons for a work social event and were off-duty at the time.
Alan Jenkins, representing the force, said the female officer’s actions were ‘plainly inappropriate’ and ‘sexually provocative’. He said:
“The allegations against PC Johnson-Warne concern her sexual attentions towards two male colleagues, PC A and PC B, at a time when she was heavily intoxicated…
“The first officer, PC A, was also sent messages via mobile phone which asked if he wanted to have sex with her, and at least one photograph of her in her underwear.
“PC A was also treated inappropriately whilst he was passenger on the rear seat of a car with PC Johnson-Warne towards the end of the evening. She tried to pull his hand between her legs and under her clothing.
“The second officer, PC B, was also touched in a sexually provocative manner over clothing whilst the group was in the Wetherspoons pub.
“For an officer sexually to touch colleagues in such a manner that they feel uncomfortable is plainly inappropriate.
“The issue of gender is properly immaterial… whether a male officer touched female colleagues without their consent or a female officer touched male colleagues does not matter for these purposes.
“Alcohol consumption, particularly if excessive, does not provide any excuse or justification for any touching that is unwelcome or unwanted in the circumstances.”
PC Johnson-Warne faces further allegations of gross misconduct for striking PC Brookes, after their relationship ended, and breaching bail conditions following that incident.
She denies hitting the fellow police officer but accepts a charge of misconduct for breaching her bail.
The misconduct hearing continues.