Police constable who abandoned his duty to have sex with a woman in the back of his van in a supermarket car park while Covid guidance was in place is sacked

• PC abandoned duty to have sex with member of the public in the back of his van 
• The incident happened in a supermarket car park amid 2020 Covid measures 
• Northumbria Police’s Ian Dawson has now been fired and banned from all forces 

A Northumbria Police constable who abandoned his duty to have sex with a member of the public in the back of his van while parked in a supermarket car park has been sacked. 

PC Ian Dawson was bored during his shift and contacted a woman asking if she would like to meet up.

When she agreed, he drove to her home, picked her up and then went to the nearby supermarket for sex, dropping her off again afterwards, a misconduct hearing has heard.

The incident happened in September 2020, when Covid guidance was still in place and the Government was still advising the public not to mix unnecessarily with others.

Dawson has now been fired and banned from all police forces for life after bosses heard about his on-duty escapade.

At an accelerated misconduct hearing in Newcastle, Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable Winton Keenen heard the officer should have been protecting the public (stock image)

He also admitted having a sexual relationship with a colleague that he failed to declare.

At the hearing in Newcastle, Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable Winton Keenen heard the officer should have been protecting the public.

The hearing was told: ‘In the course of the officer’s shift he agreed to meet a member of the public, Ms A, for sexual purposes. He was on duty in a police uniform, in a marked police van, when he collected Ms A from her house in the police vehicle and drove her to a supermarket car park.

‘They arrived in the car park at 00.06 on 8th September 2020. He engaged in sexual activity with Ms A in the back of the police vehicle and then drove her back to her home address.’

In October 2021, Dawson also lied to his bosses about a sexual relationship with a member of police staff, Ms B. When asked about the relationship by supervising officers, he twice denied being involved with her when he knew it to be a lie.

In sacking Dawson, Chief Constable Keenen acknowledged the sexual behaviour of police officers is under scrutiny.

He said: ‘There is an understandable expectation of the public that police officers will act at all times in ways that do not discredit the public service to which they dedicate their working lives.

‘With that comes the expectation that they will not engage in sexual activity whilst on duty.

‘This has always been the case but now, perhaps more than ever, there is a recognisable increase in the expectations of the public regarding the behaviours of police officers, and particularly so regarding behaviours involving sexual activity.’

The officer said he had been suffering from poor mental health at the time but provided no medical evidence to back up his claim.

Dawson was sacked without notice for gross misconduct and placed on the Royal College of Policing’s barred list.

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