A drunk police officer, who smacked the bottoms of his female colleagues, said one explanation for his behaviour was he was trying to "prove he was heterosexual".
PC James Sarson, who worked for Cheshire Police, was dismissed by the force due to his "serious and repeated" behaviour. The incidents occurred when the police officer was off duty on two separate nights out with colleagues.
The allegations, which the police officer admitted to, including smacking the bottoms of his female colleagues, calling one co-worker "Boobs Magee" and making sexualised and "over-familiar comments" such as "work wife".
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In a misconduct report published on Thursday following a hearing in December, it states his conduct was "not premediated" but rather "opportunistic". PC Sarson was described as a "bedroom gamer" and had a lack of social circle, according to the report.
He told the panel alcohol had an adverse effect on him and due to not liking the taste "drinks it very quickly" which he described as binge drinking. The panel said it also considered evidence about a comment from a colleague to the effect they thought "PC Sarson was gay and others joining in".
The report said this could offer an explanation as it "could follow that his conduct through the rest of the night used female colleagues to prove he was heterosexual".
It said: "The panel have considered the evidence about a comment from a colleague to the effect that they thought PC Sarson was gay and others joining in. This is referred to by the Officer’s side as potential explanation for his conduct.
"The panel take the view that this would be a serious feature as it could follow that his conduct through the rest of the night used female colleagues to prove he was heterosexual. In the event, the panel regard this as speculation as the Officer attempts to look back and explain behaviour that he has poor recall of, and have set it to one side."
When reaching its outcome, the report said: "We find that the Officer’s behaviour was significantly affected by alcohol but not to the extent that he lost awareness of his professional responsibilities when off duty, or as is relevant in this case, his awareness of how to conduct himself properly as a member of society.
"His intoxication is relevant to culpability in that it provides an alternative, and on the panel’s analysis more likely, explanation for his behaviour as opposed to a predatory motivation.
"The panel do not accept that he has no memory of the events in question, granted his ability to recall events surrounding the central incidents. We do accept that his memory is likely affected by alcohol and by replaying events during the course of the investigation."
The report continued that the panel had to consider the effect on women who want to join the police to serve the public in relation to PC Sarson's actions.
It said: "Incidents such as these would suggest a culture of potential harassment that might put good candidates off. Policing has worked hard to change that perception.
"We accept that the officer is remorseful and shows a degree of insight and has accepted responsibility. The panel do feel a significant degree of sympathy with a young man who we judge to have conducted himself in this manner due to drink and a lack of social skills.
"We are also aware of how difficult these proceedings must have been for him, and his family and fully understand his long-held ambition to serve as police officer. That must be tempered with our concern for the others involved in this case."
Concluding that the outcome must be dismissal, the panel ruled: "Behaviour such as this cannot be tolerated and the public, serving officers and those thinking of a career in the police need to be clear they will be protected from harassment. The Officer had an informal warning and proceeded to act in a very similar way.
"This was entirely unacceptable behaviour which was serious and repeated. In acting in this way the Officer treated colleagues with serious lack of self-control and courtesy bought discredit on the force and on policing generally. The panel’s decision on outcome is that there is no alternative to dismissal without notice."
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