A FORMER police officer has been given a suspended jail sentence after he admitted stalking a woman.
PC Philip Paul Nicholls, aged 52, was a dog handler based in Almondsbury.
He admitted a charge of stalking without causing fear of violence at Newport Magistrates’ Court in March.
Today he was sentenced at the same court to an 18-week suspended prison sentence.
The woman made a complaint about Nicholls to Gwent Police on March 3 and he was arrested the same day.
Avon & Somerset police said Nicholls had made repeated attempts to contact the woman, who he already knew, by telephone, letters, and through people she knew, between January and March, despite being asked to stop.
After he admitted the stalking charge, an accelerated Avon & Somerset police misconduct hearing was held on March 27.
Nicholls was found to have committed gross misconduct and hearing chair Craig Holden said he would have been sacked, had he not already resigned.
He has now been added to the national barred list to prevent him from working in policing or other law enforcement agencies again.
Dog handler had previous misconduct warning
Last year Nicholls was cleared of gross misconduct by another police misconduct panel after he was accused of forming an inappropriate relationship with a vulnerable woman and sending her graphic sexual social media messages.
He had admitted a lesser allegation of misconduct during a tribunal hearing in October and was given a final written warning but allowed to keep his job.
The earlier misconduct panel believed his version of events over those of the alleged victim, a domestic violence survivor he had met on Instagram, and whose evidence it found to be unreliable and contradictory.
‘Manipulative and abusive’
Speaking after today’s sentencing, Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said: “This former officer has pleaded guilty to a very serious offence. His behaviour was wholly unwanted, manipulative and abusive.
“The offence was first reported to our colleagues at Gwent Police in March and they led the criminal investigation.
“At the first court hearing, PC Nicholls admitted the offence and he’s now been sentenced.
“We’ve worked swiftly to expedite the misconduct process, holding an accelerated hearing prior to his sentencing hearing.
“I hope the public will be reassured by the robust action taken, which shows how seriously we treat crimes like this, no matter who the offender is.”
Avon & Somerset police encouraged members of the public to report any police officer, member of staff or volunteer they believe to be “corrupt or committing serious abuse” to the Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service.