A police officer has been dismissed for sending inappropriate messages to a 14-year-old girl he met through his duties
The misconduct panel found that he had plans to meet the girl, referred to as Child A, for a meal. This all came to light when her school discovered his intentions.
The chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, was pretty clear about how serious this was. He said Hunt’s actions were a case of child sexual exploitation and showed a complete lack of self-control.
Hunt had already admitted to his misconduct and even tried to resign. Balhatchet emphasized that this was premeditated and that Hunt had tried to keep things off the radar to avoid getting caught.
He pointed out that the girl was vulnerable due to her age and other factors. Balhatchet expressed his disgust, stating that Hunt was a disgrace to the police force.
Hunt didn’t even show up for the hearing, which made it clear he was disengaged from the process. He was still an officer at the time but was under a Sexual Risk Order.
The panel found that he had breached several professional standards, including honesty and integrity. Balhatchet made it clear that the police’s job is to protect the vulnerable, and Hunt did the exact opposite.
He apologized to the victim and her family, stating that Hunt’s actions were completely incompatible with being a police officer. The chief constable is determined to root out anyone like Hunt from the police service.