Two PSNI officers dismissed over ‘utterly despicable’ treatment of vulnerable people

Friday 13 November 2026

Two PSNI officers have been dismissed after vulnerable members of the public, including people experiencing mental health crises, were secretly filmed, photographed and subjected to degrading and sexualised comments by officers who had been sent to help them.

A Police Ombudsman investigation uncovered images, videos and messages relating to 18 people on the personal mobile phones of one officer, spanning five years between 2016 and 2021. Some material was shared through WhatsApp, including with a member of the public.

Police Ombudsman Jacqui Durkin condemned the behaviour as “utterly despicable”, saying people who needed compassion and protection had instead been treated with contempt.

The investigation exposed serious breaches of privacy and confidentiality, including the disclosure of sensitive medical information, the filming of vulnerable people without their knowledge and the mocking of individuals experiencing distress.

Vulnerable people betrayed by officers sent to help

The most disturbing findings involved two officers, identified as Police Officer A and Police Officer B, who recorded or exchanged inappropriate material involving people they encountered during their duties.

In June 2021, both officers attended the home of a woman with learning difficulties and mental health needs following concerns for her safety.

While the woman was in bed wearing nightwear, Police Officer A secretly recorded a video and made a highly inappropriate sexualised comment. Police Officer B, who was standing at the foot of her bed, also participated in the exchange.

When the woman indicated that she was recording the officers on her electronic tablet, Police Officer A claimed they were having “craic” and told her to “lighten up.”

The woman subsequently told Police Ombudsman investigators that she had not known she was being filmed and felt “disgusted” by what had happened.

Ms Durkin said:

“Recording a video while making sexualised comments to a vulnerable woman who was in bed in her nightwear was hugely inappropriate, a gross intrusion of her privacy and an affront to her dignity.

“They demeaned her for their own amusement. It would be hard to imagine behaviour further removed from the care and compassion required by police officers in such a situation.”

Women seeking police help photographed and mocked

Another incident, in November 2020, involved two vulnerable women who had reported an assault and theft by someone known to them.

Police Officer B photographed the women while attending one of their homes and sent the images to Police Officer A through WhatsApp.

The photographs were accompanied by messages containing sexualised and derogatory comments about both women.

When informed of the messages, one woman said the experience had reinforced her belief that police were “out to get” her. The other woman did not engage with investigators.

Police Officer B subsequently told investigators he had been a junior officer and that Police Officer A had been his Probationary Support Officer. He claimed he had been “trying to fit in” and would not have behaved that way had he not met the other officer.

People in hospital secretly filmed and photographed

Investigators discovered further material involving another 15 members of the public on Police Officer A’s current and previous personal phones.

Five people had been photographed or filmed in hospital, despite signs discouraging photography and recording in clinical settings.

Among them was a woman the officer had encountered repeatedly during incidents involving self-harm and concerns that she might take her own life.

In June 2019, while escorting the woman to hospital, he sent her photograph and details of her medical condition to a member of the public. He disclosed further medical information about her on four other occasions, sometimes using foul and derogatory language.

The officer claimed the woman had consented to the disclosures and that contact with the recipient was intended to encourage her cooperation.

However, investigators concluded that, given the severity of her vulnerabilities, any purported consent could not be relied upon.

The woman has since died by suicide.

Victims describe anger, distress and loss of trust

Another woman was secretly recorded twice after leaving hospital while receiving treatment following an overdose. She was still attached to a drip when the videos were taken.

The woman told investigators she had been at the lowest point of her life and was angry to discover that she had been filmed.

A man considered at risk of self-harm was photographed lying across chairs in a hospital waiting area. His image was shared with a member of the public alongside a derogatory message about his health conditions.

When told what had happened, he said he felt he had been made “a laughing stock”.

Other recordings included five videos of an elderly and apparently vulnerable man, filmed in his home and from a police vehicle. The footage showed his poor living conditions and included mocking comments about his sex life.

A woman experiencing problems with alcohol and drugs said discovering that she had been filmed caused her great distress.

Two women involved in a neighbour dispute were also recorded without their knowledge. One said the experience made her nervous of police and reluctant to contact them again, while the other said it had damaged her trust in policing.

Investigators also identified the inappropriate disclosure of confidential police information about a suspect in a fatal road traffic collision in July 2016.

Investigation uncovered wider misconduct concerns

The officers’ conduct came to light following an allegation that Police Officer A had abused his position for a sexual purpose by establishing a relationship with a woman he had met through his duties.

Another officer reported the allegation through the PSNI’s anti-corruption hotline, leading to a referral to the Police Ombudsman in December 2021.

Police Officer A was arrested during the investigation, and searches of his home and workplace resulted in electronic devices being seized.

Although the original allegation resulted in no action against him, examination of his phones uncovered material that prompted three separate investigations.

These concerned the treatment of vulnerable members of the public, the sharing of racial, sexist and misogynistic memes between officers, and unauthorised access to police body-worn video footage.

The separate body-worn video investigation established that 74 officers, including Police Officer A, had accessed footage without a legitimate reason. The PSNI took management action against all 74.

Police Officer A was dismissed for gross misconduct following an internal PSNI Professional Standards investigation.

No criminal prosecutions despite serious findings

The Police Ombudsman submitted files to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland concerning potential misconduct in public office by Police Officer A and potential data protection offences involving both officers.

The PPS directed that neither officer should face prosecution.

However, prosecutors noted that offences under the Communications Act would have been relevant had the applicable statutory time limits not already expired before the material was discovered and an investigation could begin.

Because Police Officer A had already been dismissed, no further disciplinary proceedings could be taken against him over his treatment of vulnerable members of the public.

Police Officer B was dismissed for gross misconduct in July 2026 following the Ombudsman investigation.

A third officer, Police Officer C, received a final written warning after receiving an inappropriate video of a vulnerable person and subsequently sending it back to Police Officer A.

That officer accepted the video should have been reported and described the incident as “a stupid mistake.”

No further action was taken against Police Officer D, who had been present during a recording but said they were unaware that it was being made.

Police Ombudsman condemns betrayal of public trust

Ms Durkin said the officers’ explanations offered no justification for their actions.

Police Officer A had suggested some recordings were made for his protection against potential allegations, although he could not explain why he had not used his official body-worn camera.

He also referred to frustrations with his work and fears of being targeted by dissident paramilitaries.

Ms Durkin rejected those explanations.

“Almost all of the people affected by these actions were vulnerable, some extremely so,” she said. “They should have been treated with compassion and empathy. Instead, they were treated with nothing short of contempt.

“These now former officers showed no respect for people’s privacy or dignity at their time of need and seriously undermined their trust and confidence in policing. One also shared a series of messages with a member of the public, showing scant regard for the confidentiality of police enquiries.

“They were unworthy of the role of police officer and it is only right that they have been dismissed from the PSNI.”

She also praised the officer whose original report had exposed the misconduct.

“If it had not been for the integrity and bravery of that officer, these issues may never have come to light and the officers involved may not have been held to account for their actions.”

PSNI apologises to those failed by officers

Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the findings would shock and appal police officers and staff.

“I welcome the Police Ombudsman’s investigation into the horrifying behaviour demonstrated by these officers. It will shock and appal our officers and staff that any member of the public, needing our help, was treated in this cruel and dismissive way.

“The behaviour described by the Ombudsman falls far below the standards the public is entitled to expect from police officers. It represented a serious breach of trust, particularly affecting people who were entitled to care, compassion and professional support at times of acute vulnerability.”

Mr Singleton confirmed that the investigations had resulted in two dismissals, one final written warning and no misconduct finding against a fourth officer.

“We recognise the profound impact this conduct may have had on those affected and on wider public confidence in policing. We are sorry that individuals who sought the assistance of police were let down in this way.”

He stressed that the behaviour did not reflect the professionalism and dedication of the overwhelming majority of PSNI officers and staff, while acknowledging that this did not diminish its seriousness.

Justice Minister calls for stronger accountability

Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was shocked and deeply saddened by the findings, particularly the treatment of vulnerable people.

“The actions of the officers were abhorrent, wholly unacceptable and completely indefensible, and it is right that they have been dismissed from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. There is no place in our Police Service for officers who behave in this way.”

She said the misconduct raised profound questions about safeguarding and professional standards and highlighted the importance of maintaining public confidence in policing.

The Minister also outlined legislative proposals intended to strengthen police disciplinary procedures and close gaps in accountability.

These include provisions in the Justice Bill allowing disciplinary proceedings involving former officers, including those who resign or retire while under investigation or whose alleged misconduct emerges after they leave.

Proposals would also establish a Northern Ireland police barred list, recording individuals dismissed following disciplinary processes, and an advisory list for those who leave while allegations remain unresolved.

The Department of Justice is additionally seeking an amendment allowing the Police Ombudsman to submit an early report where there is incontrovertible evidence of criminality or gross misconduct, enabling disciplinary action to proceed before related criminal matters are concluded, provided those proceedings would not be prejudiced.

Ms Durkin said such reforms could help deliver swifter accountability and deter serious misconduct.

UUP leader calls for criminal accountability and tougher police vetting

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has condemned the conduct of the two dismissed PSNI officers, accusing them of betraying vulnerable people and calling for stronger criminal accountability and recruitment safeguards.

Mr Burrows said:

“These officers' actions were sickening. They humiliated vulnerable people they were sent to help, betrayed public trust and disgraced the uniform. They were rightly dismissed.

“These are exactly the officers the Police Ombudsman and PSNI anti-corruption investigators should be rooting out.”

He also questioned the Public Prosecution Service’s decision not to pursue criminal charges and confirmed he intends to raise the matter directly with prosecutors.

“I am surprised the PPS declined to prosecute for misconduct in public office, and I will be raising that decision with them directly.

“Conduct this serious should carry criminal consequences. If gaps in our laws or prosecution time limits are standing in the way of proper accountability, they need to be fixed. There has to be a real deterrent against this appalling abuse of trust.”

Mr Burrows also called for the PSNI to introduce home visits as part of police recruitment and vetting, citing recommendations from the Angiolini Inquiry.

“We should be doing everything we can to identify those unfit to wear the uniform before they are entrusted with its powers.”

Independent support for those affected

Anyone affected by the findings who would like independent advice or support can contact Victim Support NI.

The organisation provides free, confidential and trauma-informed support. Its offices can be contacted Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.

• Belfast: 02890 243133

• Foyle: 02871 370086

• Belfast email: belfast@victimsupportni.org.uk

• Foyle email: foyle@victimsupportni.org.uk

The findings expose not only the humiliation and distress inflicted on people who turned to police for help, but also the lasting damage such conduct can cause to confidence in seeking protection. With two officers dismissed and no criminal prosecutions brought, attention now turns to whether proposed changes to police misconduct procedures can strengthen accountability and prevent vulnerable people from being failed again.