Sergeant Dismissed After Violent and Sexually Motivated Assault
A police sergeant has been fired from the force after a misconduct hearing found he put his hands around a woman's throat and made a graphic sexual comment to her during a night out in Swansea. Former South Wales Police sergeant Richard Jones was dismissed without notice after a panel ruled his actions amounted to gross misconduct.
Details of the St Patrick's Day Incident
The incident occurred on March 17, 2023, while Jones was off duty and celebrating St Patrick's Day with other officers. The hearing was told the group had been drinking for around five hours, starting with three pints of Guinness before moving to a bottomless brunch at Turtle Bay and then to bars on Wind Street.
It was there that the group was joined by another officer and her friend, identified as Ms A, whom Jones had not met before. During the evening, Ms A disclosed details about her sex life with her husband in a conversation with Jones.
Later, at The Perch venue on Wind Street, Jones approached Ms A while she was away from the group. The panel heard that he then placed his hands around her throat, exerted pressure, and said: "I'm going to take you outside and f*** you really hard and choke you until you c**" or words to that effect.
Aftermath and Consequences
The misconduct panel concluded the actions were "unwanted and uninvited" and constituted "violent behaviour" that was "sexually motivated". Ms A did not initially report the incident, concerned about causing problems at work, but eventually confided in her brother-in-law, who is a police officer. He subsequently reported the matter.
The panel found Jones had "high culpability" for his actions, citing the abuse of his position of trust and the significant impact on public confidence in policing. The level of harm to Ms A was deemed "high", as she suffered psychological distress, took time off work, and accessed counselling. The amount of alcohol Jones consumed was considered an aggravating factor.
Assessing the violent nature and seriousness of the incident, the panel stated that "anything less than dismissal without notice" would be insufficient. Jones was therefore dismissed from the force, and a report will be made to the College of Policing to add his name to the policing barred list.
