22 November 2023 , 19:32
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An ex-police officer accused of assaulting and injuring a woman during sex 'would have been dismissed' had he not already left the force, a misconduct panel revealed.
Former South Yorkshire Police PC Rowan Horrocks, based in Sheffield, was acquitted of rape at trial earlier this month, but an accelerated misconduct hearing found the injuries caused still amounted to gross misconduct. The hearing, which was held before the force's Chief Constable Lauren Poultney on Tuesday, found there would have been sufficient grounds to dismiss Horrocks.
The panel was told Horrocks left the woman with multiple and extensive injuries after he took her home with him after a night out in November 2021. Defence lawyers in the trial, held earlier in November at Leeds crown court, said the injuries had been part of 'consensual sex'.
A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: "However, the level of injury caused amounted to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), which, in law, cannot be consented to." It was determined at the misconduct hearing that this was gross misconduct.
Chief Constable Poultney also decided on the facts that no consent for inflicting these injuries was provided and Horrocks did not reasonably believe the complainant was consenting. She said: "This case sets a precedent within South Yorkshire Police and demonstrates how we will explore all available avenues to deal with people who do not deserve to call themselves a police officer.
"While Horrocks was acquitted of rape - and this is not in question - the level of injury suffered by the complainant was such that it amounted to ABH. By law, this cannot be consented to.
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"Furthermore, I found no consent was given and Horrocks did not reasonably believe the complainant consented. I have therefore determined his actions that night amounted to gross misconduct and I would have dismissed him had he not already resigned.
"I would like to thank the complainant for her support of these proceedings and commend her bravery in speaking up - something which can only have been more difficult for her in the knowledge this individual was a police officer. I know a matter like this will understandably impact the trust and confidence our hard-working officers and staff strive to build with our communities, however it is only right we remain open and transparent about it to demonstrate how robustly we will deal with someone in these circumstances. There is no place for such a person in my force."