A Merseyside Police constable sacked after being convicted of stalking a fellow officer - causing her to move home - moaned on social media about the force being a "hostile workplace for males".
Former PC Stuart Descombes, from Wallasey, was found guilty of gross misconduct after an accelerated misconduct hearing chaired by Chief Constable Serena Kennedy. The officer was dismissed without notice, and has been placed on the College of Policing Barred List prohibiting him from working in any policing role in future.
Descombes had stood trial at Manchester Magistrates' Court in March and was convicted of stalking PC Anita Kosnik over a period running from April to June, 2022, in areas including Wallasey Police Station, Manor Road and other areas in Wirral. According to the charge, he "pursued a course of conduct which amounted to the stalking of Anita Kosnik and which he knew or ought to have known amounted to the harassment of her in that you sent her unwanted contact in various forms of communication, attended her home address and her place of work."
READ MORE: Suspect named as car abandoned in middle of The Strand after crash
Descombes was sentenced on May 12 and was handed a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, with requirements to complete 100 hours of unpaid work plus 20 days of Rehabilitation Activity with the Probation Service. The court also imposed a three year restraining order prohibiting any contact with PC Kosnik.
As is standard after a criminal conviction, a misconduct hearing was arranged and took place on June 14. According to the Merseyside Police hearing notice, Descombes was accused of breaching professional standards relating to 'authority, respect and courtesy' and 'discreditable conduct' . The notice stated: "In persisting with contact with an officer and being convicted of stalking and harassing her, causing her mental health to suffer and causing her to have to move home and place of work, you have failed to treat her with respect and courtesy."
The ECHO contacted Descombes, and he declined to comment due to an appeal against his conviction, listed before a judge in Manchester Crown Court in November.
After his dismissal, Descombes posted on the social media site Linked In protesting his innocence and claiming his conviction and dismissal were based on "90% hearsay".
Suggesting Merseyside Police is a "hostile place to work if you're a male", he added: "I would like to think by attending my hearing and getting my points across regarding the lack of integrity of those involved in my investigation and the lack of quality in the investigation I gave the [Chief Constable] food for thought but who knows.
"In the meantime, I'm going to take some time to regroup and prepare the fight for the appeal and civil litigation.
For the first time in ten years I can speak freely and look forward to a new career path with less stress."
Chief Superintendent Jennifer Wilson, head of Merseyside Police's Professional Standards Department, said: “We demand the highest possible standards from officers and staff, whether they are on or off duty. Following the conclusion of criminal proceedings, it is right Constable Descombes has had to answer for his behaviour in front of a misconduct hearing.
“I want the public to be assured that protecting women and girls remains a priority for Merseyside Police, we are committed to seeking out and investigating those who do not uphold the high standards we expect. We are continuing our work to ensure there is a force-wide understanding of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) creating a culture that calls this type of behaviour out, actively demonstrating that violence against women and girls in any form will not be tolerated in our organisation or community.
“Our communities expect and deserve anyone employed by this force to behave in a professional, lawful and respectful manner and when that is not the case our dedicated professional standards department will always carry out a thorough investigation to ensure the public across Merseyside can continue to have confidence in the police service.
“The overwhelming majority of our police officers and staff act with respect, professionalism, and integrity. We want to keep it that way, and will continue to take swift, robust action to investigation anyone whose behaviour falls short of those high standards.
“We actively promote an inclusive culture within Merseyside Police including supporting staff networks and being part of the inclusive companies network to lead the campaign for pioneering change and moving towards creating a fairer and more inclusive workplace.
“The wellbeing and morale of everyone working for Merseyside Police remains a priority to ensure we can continue to deliver and excellent quality of service to the communities of Merseyside.
“All our officers and staff have access to a variety of services within the force including psychological support. This year we also introduced our Employee Assistance Programme which gives access to counselling sessions, a confidential helpline, help and support for legal and financial issues, crisis assistance support and an online health and wellbeing portal and mobile app.”
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
