A GMP officer who had an affair with a woman he met on duty while dealing with her claims of domestic violence has kept his job. PC Dean Birkhead was today given a final written warning.
A disciplinary panel found that in two out of three standards of behaviour gross misconduct was proven. It found he breached standards in terms of honesty, and integrity; and authority, respect, and courtesy. Discreditable conduct was not proven.
But the chairman of the panel, Stephen Gowland, said it had concluded the woman was not vulnerable. Evidence from the woman herself and PC Birkhead's barrister, Ben Summers, showed she was "a powerful woman who knew her own mind." The officer and the woman are now in an "emotional and loving" relationship and are building a life together.
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PC Birkhead admitted he "buried his head in the sand" and failed to report the relationship he had formed with female A. He told the misconduct hearing he was "scared" of the potential consequences.
The hearing was told that his contact with female A, developed rapidly after he took two statements from her while based in Stockport, alleging abuse by her then husband on December 8th and 11th 2018. By December 24th the woman had sent him a picture of her in a bikini. In early January 2019 she sent two images of her and the officer merged with the captions "hot stuff us baby" and "we make a hot couple". But PC Birkhead and the woman both denied it was a sexual relationship at that stage.
PC Birkhead had organised the arrest of the woman's then partner, after he had breached the conditions of his bail. The woman had called 999 on December 7th 2018 about a domestic incident involving her husband. When PC Birkhead later visited her with a member of police staff, she said she she was convinced her husband would kill her.
But by December 13th the woman was contacting PC Birkhead on his personal mobile phone. The woman told the hearing she contacted him via his personal mobile as it was quicker than hanging on the line via 101.
The officer was accused of forming a relationship with a domestic abuse victim, not informing anyone at GMP about the relationship, and of hiding his phone, and providing inaccurate information when investigated. He faced allegations that his actions amounted to gross misconduct. He denied the allegations, but did not dispute claims he contacted and met the woman outside of work.
PC Birkhead accepted that he and female A went to watch Manchester City play Burton Albion in January 2019. In then in the same month they watched City play Newcastle away together, and shared a room at the Travelodge in Newcastle, but the officer denied they were intimate that night. In April 2019 PC Birkhead left his marital home. He admitted he and female A went on holiday to Grasmere in the Lake District in August 2019, and by then the relationship was sexual. He was arrested in September that year while on a course at GMP's Claytonbrook complex in Openshaw infront of colleagues while taking part in training.
Mr Gowland said that PC Birkhead's behaviour was not planned and was a relationship which evolved over time. He said although it evolved from an operational matter there was no operational dishonesty. He added there were early admissions by PC Birkhead to his conduct and no evidence of any harm to any individuals.
PC Birkhead, who joined GMP in 2005, aged 24, and previously worked for North West Ambulance Service, has been on restricted duties since September 2019. But the hearing was told that his work since then had been exemplary. Mr Gowland said they found the case was not one where the officer had pursued the woman for sexual purposes. The panel decided that the allegation that PC Birkhead tried to conceal is mobile phone when arrested was not proven.
Mr Summers told the hearing: "At the end of the day what has this officer done - fallen in love with someone he shouldn't have done and failed to do the right thing. But otherwise an excellent officer who well serves the public has been held to account." Female A divorced her husband in 2019.
Mr Gowland said: ""We do hope he (PC Birkhead) will learn from this and will continue to be a dedicated servant to the communuity."
