Pc Jennifer Regan has been sacked for sending inappropriate texts to a suicidal teenager she had talked down from a bridge (Picture: Warrington Guardian/SWNS)

A female police officer has been sacked for gross misconduct after sending inappropriate messages to a suicidal teenager she had previously helped talk down from a bridge.

PC Jennifer Regan, 38, met the vulnerable 19-year-old in Cheshire back in January 2018 when she threatened to leap to her death.

She later emailed and texted the young woman, who has a ‘lengthy history’ of mental health issues, ‘in a manner that was wholly inappropriate’ and even invited her to spend the night at her flat.

PC Regan has now been dismissed from the county’s police force without notice after a disciplinary panel found her to be guilty of gross misconduct.




The panel concluded: ‘She pursued and sought to establish an improper personal, emotional and/or intimate relationship with [the woman], who was vulnerable to an abuse of trust or power.’

The panel ruled the messages ‘were very personal’ and the officer’s ‘clear intention was to establish a personal and emotional relationship’ (Picture: Warrington Guardian/SWNS)

The tribunal was told the pair first came into contact in January 2018 when the young woman was sectioned after overdosing on paracetamol.

She went missing from hospital later that month and PC Regan was part of the team that helped talk her down when she threatened to leap from a bridge.

They met a third time in April of last year in hospital before the officer emailed her offering to meet ‘for a chat and a brew’.

However, in a breach of protocol she later used her personal email address to contact the teenager and then started to send her text messages.

The personal email read: ‘I wanted to check in with you and show you that I’m more than the job. Let me know how you’re getting on. Jen x’

During an exchange of texts last July she sent: ‘I don’t mean it to be a one-time visit anyway, I’d like to keep in touch with you because I think you’re a great person and I reckon you could make me smile a lot! Lol xx.’

‘When you meet someone who touches your life you just know that they are gonna be good for you. That’s why I would consider you to be a friend of mine.

‘The job introduced us but it’s you that made me want to say hi outside of that. I also think you’re pretty amazing by the way xx.’

She later messaged: ‘You wanna chat when you get home? Xx. Or if you’re feeling adventurous you could come see me? Xx.’

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The panel heard the pair made arrangements for the woman to get to PC Regan’s flat, with the then serving officer offering to pay for her to travel in a taxi from Warrington to Manchester where she lived.

The officer offered: ‘If you come you can stay and I’ll drive you back tomorrow how’s that?? Xx

‘I didn’t mean that to be weird but it’s no big deal for me if it isn’t you xx’



The teen went to the officer’s flat but soon messaged a friend to say she felt uncomfortable and wanted to go home.

Apart from one further message the following morning the panel heard the communications between them ceased.

PC Regan admitted sending the messages and inviting the woman to her flat, but denied acting inappropriately.

However, the panel ruled ‘the misconduct was very serious because it undermined the public’s trust in the police’.

‘We found that PC Regan still did not understand or appreciate the seriousness of what she had done,’ the panel concluded.

‘The misconduct was aggravated by the teenager’s vulnerability.

‘[The teenager] is a fragile young woman, and the potential harm to her was great – she is unstable, and it takes very little to push her too far.

‘The officer’s texts to [her] were very personal. PC Regan’s clear intention was to establish a personal and emotional relationship.

‘It was entirely inappropriate for PC Regan to invite [the woman] to her flat to spend the night. The officer herself thought that it was “a bit heavy”.

‘We acknowledge PC Regan’s service as a police officer and as a PCSO, but the inevitable outcome was she should be dismissed without notice.’

PC Regan is appealing the panel’s decision.

Need support? Contact the Samaritans For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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