(Image: West Yorkshire Police)
Repeated sexual remarks and “inappropriate,” “creepy" touching by a former West Yorkshire Police officer would have seen him sacked had he not already resigned, a misconduct panel has found.
The hearing, held on September 7, found former PC Mark Spence abused his position as a driver trainer while overseeing a course in West Yorkshire during the summer of 2025.
Over a two-week period, the officer repeatedly directed inappropriate remarks at a female colleague, referred to as PC Z, while also touching her arm and waist.
The panel heard that PC Z was undertaking professional training which she needed to pass to progress her career, leaving her unable to simply remove herself from the situation.
The allegations
The most serious allegations involved explicit sexual comments.
The panel found he told PC Z: “I still haven't decided if you are a spunk on the t*ts or belly button kind of girl.”
On another occasion, while she was drinking water, he remarked: “It's salty, isn't it?” before referring to her partner and suggesting she had performed oral sex that morning.
Among the comments found proven was a remark about her eyes, asking whether she was “trying to hypnotise” him.
He also repeatedly told her that her partner would cheat on her.
The hearing also found that he stroked her arm while commenting on how soft it was and squeezed or prodded her waist while she was collecting equipment from a police vehicle.
PC Z said the behaviour left her mentally drained and withdrawn.
The panel noted that she wanted him to “leave her alone” and she “almost felt as though he was harassing her.”
Panel finds former officer 'abused position'
The panel upheld allegations that former PC Spence made a series of inappropriate and sexually explicit remarks to a trainee officer during a police driving course.
It also found he engaged in unwanted physical contact by stroking her arm, prodding her waist, winking at her and repeatedly staring at her through a vehicle's rear-view mirror.
In its findings, the panel said: “This was not a single inappropriate comment or isolated lapse of judgment but a course of conduct that continued throughout the driving course.”
Members concluded there had been “an imbalance of power” and that the former officer had abused his position as PC Z's instructor.
The panel rejected suggestions the remarks amounted to banter, finding there was no evidence the behaviour was welcomed, encouraged or reciprocated.
It ruled that the former officer's actions amounted to gross misconduct.
The panel also said the public would be seriously concerned that a police officer entrusted with training colleagues had used that position to make repeated sexual comments and engage in unwanted physical contact.
Although PC Spence had resigned from the force before the hearing took place, the panel concluded he would have been dismissed without notice had he still been serving.
He has been placed on the College of Policing's barred list.