'I'm definitely gay' says policeman after claim he touched zip on a female colleague's trousers

HE TELLS HEARING OF 'TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT' AT STATION

- RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

A NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Police officer whose conduct is being investigated after allegedly touching the zip of a female colleague’s trousers has said he is “definitely gay”.

PC Jamie Faulkner is facing a misconduct hearing after reports he failed to maintain personal boundaries with another officer, referred to as Officer A, between January 1, 2023, and June 21, 2023.

PC Faulkner told the hearing, held yesterday at the police headquarters, that he does not accept the allegations. He said: “Now I know how it has made her feel, I am sorry. If it was brought to my attention, I would have put a boundary between us.

“I am definitely gay. I hid it from a lot of people growing up. I did not tell my mum until I went to university in 2018. Coming out was a process and I only told people I was comfortable with. I had gone my whole life trying to hide it and I was embarrassed and ashamed.

“I still was not comfortable when I joined the police. Sometimes I would say I am bisexual because it felt easier than telling them the truth. I do not have any attraction, romantic or sexual, to women.”

PC Jamie Faulkner had recently broken up with his boyfriend of three years when he joined the force in September 2023, feeling lonely at times. He explained how Officer A was “very friendly” at the start, and how she'd become his only friend at work. The two would talk about their personal lives and PC Faulkner described their friendship as “very good”, having “a high level of trust” in his colleague. PC Faulkner also spoke of the “quite toxic” work environment of his team at Riverside Police Station.