A West Yorkshire Police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct by a tribunal after sexually assaulting a colleague during a night out. Sgt. Natalie Chandler was implicated in the incident, which occurred in Leeds city center on January 25th of last year. The police misconduct panel determined that Chandler had put her hand up her colleague’s dress and engaged in intimate touching.
The panel also uncovered additional inappropriate behavior by Chandler on the same night out. She was found to have lifted her top and exposed herself to others, in addition to making “inappropriate” comments to two other officers. Chandler, who had been a part of the police force since 2014, resigned in November to avoid being terminated.
During the hearing, it was revealed that Chandler’s actions were witnessed by fellow officers who observed her colleague’s visible discomfort and shock. The victim’s account was corroborated by multiple officers present during the incident. Chandler’s alleged question to the officer about her sexuality, specifically if she was “a little bit bi,” was deemed by the panel to suggest a sexually motivated intent behind her actions.
The panel highlighted Chandler’s sexually provocative behavior throughout the evening, which included straddling other officers and exposing herself on the dancefloor. At one point, she reportedly encouraged one officer to engage in inappropriate sexual behavior with another colleague, insinuating a romantic relationship between the two.
Despite the serious nature of the allegations against her, Chandler chose not to attend the hearing that took place on December 18th. The panel’s findings, which were made public by the police standards department this week, confirmed all three allegations of gross misconduct against her.
The panel expressed concerns that Chandler’s actions undermined public confidence in the police force, emphasizing the expectation and legal requirement for officers to uphold appropriate behavior and not engage in sexual misconduct. The incident involving Chandler serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining professional conduct within law enforcement to preserve public trust in policing.
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Please refer to West Yorkshire Police Professional Standards for further information.
