A police officer has been fired for sending inappropriate messages to a vulnerable 14-year-old girl he met while on duty
Northamptonshire: A police officer has been fired for sending sexual messages to a 14-year-old girl he met while on duty. This guy, Matthew Hunt, was found to have acted with “predatory sexual intent.”
The misconduct panel was pretty clear about it. They said Hunt would have likely tried to meet the girl in person. The chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, didn’t hold back, calling it a case of child sexual exploitation.
He pointed out that Hunt’s actions were planned and targeted. It’s shocking to think a police officer could think he could get away with this. Hunt even tried to move their chats to private channels to avoid getting caught.
The panel noted that the girl was vulnerable due to her age and other factors. Balhatchet expressed his disgust, saying Hunt was a disgrace to the police force.
After being found guilty of gross misconduct, Hunt was dismissed without notice. He didn’t even show up for the hearing, which is pretty telling. He had already admitted his actions were wrong and had offered to resign.
At the time of the hearing, he was still a serving officer and was under a protective sexual risk order. The panel found he had breached several professional standards, including honesty and integrity.
Balhatchet emphasized that the police should protect the vulnerable, not exploit them. He expressed concern that Hunt’s actions could damage trust in the police, especially for families who might need help in the future.
He wrapped up by apologizing to the victim, her family, and the public, which is the least he could do after such a terrible breach of trust.
