This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A police officer who wore an “I love weed” woolly hat on duty and scribbled “puerile” abuse on a CV during an investigation into an allegation of child abuse is facing the sack following a disciplinary hearing.



A panel ruled that PC Simon Ryan, of North Yorkshire police, was guilty of gross misconduct after he wrote “paedo”, “paedophile” and “kiddie fiddler” on the document to amuse colleagues.



The hearing at the police headquarters was the first disciplinary the force has held where the public and press were allowed to attend.



The panel heard Ryan found the CVs at a house during an investigation into an allegation of a sex offence involving a child in January 2015. Under “interests”, Ryan amended the CV to say “abusing children”, the hearing was told. He then showed the CV to colleagues, did not record it as evidence and later destroyed it in the confidential waste at Northallerton police station.

Ten days later he was on duty when he wore a hat with a cannabis logo and the message “I love weed”, both in the office and while on mobile patrol.



Edward Pleeth, for the force, said: “The public are rightly entitled to have complete confidence and faith in the honesty and integrity of officers allowed into their private space.”



Chair Lindsey Hall said the disciplinary panel found Ryan had breached six standards that police officers should uphold and was guilty of gross misconduct.

She said the public needed to have faith in the conduct of officers, and that Ryan had shown a lack of respect. Conducting a serious search of a property was “not an appropriate forum for frivolity”. Wearing the hat with the cannabis logo was likely to discredit the police force, she said.

The panel will announce on Tuesday what the sanction will be. Pleeth said Ryan’s conduct was so bad that he should be dismissed.

Guy Ladenburg, for the officer, said defacing the CV was “a very poor practical joke” and described it as “puerile”, and he urged the panel to let him remain as a police officer, a role he has carried out for 13 years.

He said colleagues described Ryan as “committed, conscientious and diligent”. He had worked on terror-related searches, covered football matches and assisted the Metropolitan police during the London riots.

One reference told of him being a “practical joker, although never malicious”. Ladenburg said: “This officer intended simply to make a joke for the benefit of his colleagues. We recognise of course how inappropriate that is.”

Ladenburg said Ryan had two children from a previous marriage, two stepsons, and his family relied on his earnings. The hat had been given to him by his 26-year-old stepson, Ladenburg said, and when he wore it he was not seen by any member of the public.

Ryan did not speak during the proceedings. He will be back on Tuesday to hear the outcome.