Police officer is sacked after hearing finds he strangled girl in his car

SHE WAS HEARD GASPING FOR AIR AS HIS HAND WAS ON HER THROAT

- By JOEL MOORE

A NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Police officer has been sacked after a gross misconduct hearing found he strangled a 16-year-old girl in the back of his car.

PC Kevin Markowski used “totally unnecessary’ force on the teenager, grabbing her by the arm in Front Street, Arnold, and shoving her into his car, causing her to bang her head twice on the vehicle.

Body-worn footage showed his hand “flexed” on her throat on two occasions while she was laid down on the back seat, said deputy chief constable Rob Griffin, who stated that kind of force “cannot be justified”. The temporary DCC, who was chairing the panel overseeing the hearing, told PC Markowski he was dismissed without notice, meaning he is barred from policing for life.

The experienced officer, who denied all the allegations and claimed his hands were on her upper chest, was cleared of criminal charges relating to the incident following a trial at Lincoln Crown Court last year. However, he faced a misconduct hearing at the force’s headquarters in Sherwood Lodge Drive, Arnold which concluded yesterday.