Police officer failed to report 'disgusting' bestiality video

Police officer is found guilty of gross misconduct after failing to report ‘disgusting’ bestiality video he was sent in WhatsApp group for football fans

• PC Phillip Taylor was sent a WhatsApp video of someone having sex with a dog
• The Cleveland Police officer failed to report incident and kept clip on his phone 
• It was discovered 12 months later and Taylor resigned after being given a caution
• Now, he has been banned from serving as an officer after a disciplinary hearing

A police officer who specialised in helping vulnerable victims was forced to quit in disgrace after being sent a video of someone having sex with a dog on his phone and failing to report it.

PC Phillip Taylor was sent a video of a person performing a sex act on the animal on a football-related WhatsApp group, which included 43 people.

But instead of deleting the offensive material, PC Taylor kept it until it was discovered 12 months later, a police disciplinary hearing was told.

The officer had served with Cleveland Police for 19 years and was based with the ‘vulnerability unit’ before he resigned after accepting an adult caution from colleagues on the force.

Chief Constable Mark Webster refused an application from the former officer to hold the hearing in private to save his family from embarrassment.

Detective Constable Susan Moore, who carried out the investigation into the officer, said his behaviour was ‘unforgivable’ due to the former officer’s role within the force and he was guilty of gross misconduct.

Cleveland Police officer PC Phillip Taylor was sent a video of a person performing a sex act on a dog on a football-related WhatsApp group with 43 other people and kept the clip on his phone (Pictured: Cleveland Police headquarters in Middlesbrough)

She said: ‘There can be no doubt that this type of behaviour falls far below the conduct expected of a police officer.’

The disciplinary hearing in Stockton on Tees heard how Taylor admitted he received, viewed and stored the video and failed to report it to bosses.

DC Moore added: ‘Such behaviour, especially by an officer in the vulnerability unit, is unforgivable. This video was on his phone for more than a year.’

The officer received the video in February 2021 but only came to light a year later when it was recovered from his mobile phone.

He accepted a caution in June this year before resigning from the force the following month.

His case was brought before a police disciplinary panel in an ‘accelerated’ case.

These cases are only brought when there is sufficient evidence to establish on the balance of probabilities that the conduct of the officer concerned constitutes gross misconduct, and it is deemed to be in the public interest for the officer concerned to leave the force without delay.

Mr Webster ruled the evidence that Taylor breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct was ‘irrefutable’.

He said: ‘The officer admitted this in interview, he accepted a criminal caution and accepted the seriousness of the offence and that the video was disgusting.’

Peter Littlewood, from the Cleveland Police Federation, said the former officer had apologised for his behaviour and for any embarrassment it may have caused the force.

Mr Webster ruled that the former officer should be placed on the Police Barred List banning him from joining any other force in the country.

He added: ‘His behaviour was disgusting and I am not having that in my force. There are a lot of good officers in this force and they will not accept that behaviour either and will welcome this decision.’

Source: Read Full Article