Sir Mark Rowley (pictured) is cleaning up the Met Police leading to huge numbers of sexual cases (Image: Getty)
A police officer sacked after a misconduct panel found he assaulted a child by spanking her bare bottom numerous times was not prosecuted, it has emerged.
A misconduct hearing, which concluded on Friday, 27 September 2024, found that PC Ross Benson, attached to the North West Basic Command Unit, breached the standard of professional behaviour relating to discreditable conduct at the level of gross misconduct.
He was dismissed without notice.
The misconduct hearing panel, led by an independent chair, examined allegations that between April 2018 and August 2018 PC Benson administered spankings to a girl, while she was aged between 12-13 years old, and there was a sexual element to them.
The girl was known to him and the spankings happened when he was off-duty.
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It also heard that on 6 November 2020, PC Benson was arrested by Bedfordshire Police on suspicion of sexual assault. In September 2021 he was informed no further action would be taken.
Criminal prosecutions have to meet the “beyond reasonable doubt threshold”, whereas misconduct cases are run on the lower threshold civil “on the balance of probabilities” burden of proof.
The CPS and Bedfordshire Police have been contacted for comment about the criminal investigation.
However, Bedfordshire Police did contact the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards about the allegations and a misconduct investigation was launched.
Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones, the acting the North West Basic Command Unit Commander, said: “My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim who displayed courage in reporting this. PC Benson’s abhorrent behaviour has led to his immediate dismissal, which is a decision I fully support.
“I hope this outcome demonstrates how we are rooting out those who do not demonstrate the high standards we demand from our officers.”
Following the hearing PC Benson will now be placed on the barred list held by the College of Policing. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
It is the latest in a huge list of misconduct cases and criminal prosecutions of serving and former Met Police officers in respect of sexual crimes and gross misconduct.
Cases have ranged from serial rapists to officers behaving inappropriately towards younger female colleagues.
It is part of a major clean up of the force by Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley in the wake of the shocking March 2021 kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens.
He was jailed to a whole life term after admitting the offences later the same year.