Hampshire police constable "scratched woman’s throat" and "forced” tongue into her mouth, hearing heard

The officer, who was referred to as Pc X and cannot legally be named, allegedly behaved “aggressively” and “without consent” towards the complainant, who he met in a bar in Winchester. The denies behaving inappropriately and said he asked for consent before kissing the woman at the Vodka Bar in October 2021.

Alan Jenkins, representing Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, told the Aldershot hearing: “The key issues concern his actions and whether there was any consent from (the complainant) as to what he did.”

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He continued: “She went with him to queue at the bar for a drink and he put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her, which she felt was aggressive, since he bit her lip and forced his tongue into her mouth. They kissed again, when he was also aggressive, and he scratched her throat with a fingernail on two occasions.

“She felt intimidated by his behaviour and decided to get away from him and mix with others, although both remained in the Vodka Bar but in different areas within the building.” Mr Jenkins said the woman suffered an injury to her lip and added: “The appropriate authority (Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary) suggests that those injuries would not have been caused by ‘normal’ and consensual kissing.”

He said it implied “aggressive and forceful conduct by this officer” and “it also strongly implies a lack of consent on their (the complainant’s) part, as well as an absence of regard for their feelings on his part”. Mr Jenkins said Pc X was arrested on the night of the incident but not charged with a criminal offence.

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He said Pc X “vehemently” denied doing anything wrong and told police: “We’re just having a chat, having a laugh and just ended up… I ended up kissing her and I spoke to her. I was like, ‘Are you sure? Are you happy with this?’ And she nodded.”

Hampshire Police said in a statement before the hearing that Pc X allegedly acted “sexually inappropriately” towards the woman and said the alleged behaviour “fell below standards of police officers”.

The hearing continues.