Bail breach was to help woman, PC tells panel

An Avon and Somerset police officer allegedly breached his bail conditions two months after he was arrested and ordered to stay away from a woman.

- ADAM POSTANS Local Democracy Reporter

PC Thomas West saw the female, Miss A, in a drunken state and alone on the street in Weston-super-Mare at about 4am on May 6, 2024, and decided to put her safety before any consequences of him breaking the ban on having any contact with her, a police misconduct hearing was told.

So he decided to walk her to a nearby taxi rank to ensure she got home but on the way the pair were assaulted in an unprovoked attack on the High Street, the panel heard.

PC West phoned 999 to report the incident but gave a false first name of Miss A, who cannot be named for legal reasons, which he told the hearing was at her request because she did not want him to get into trouble for breaching his conditions of police bail.

The constable - then a response officer in the town and now based at Burnham-on-Sea - admits misconduct but denies gross misconduct, including allegations that he was dishonest.