A former Wiltshire police officer has been dismissed following a gross misconduct hearing relating to an inappropriate sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman.

Former Police Constable Darren Thorn, who worked as a response officer in Swindon, “abused his position” by making contact with a vulnerable woman, according to Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills.

He made contact with a victim he met when attending her home in the course of his duties, and then pursued a sexual relationship with her.

Read more: PC Darren Thorn guilty of corruption and misconduct

Once in this relationship, he went on to illegally access police computer systems and obtain personal information and data, which he passed on to the woman.

He has now been dismissed from the Force with immediate effect.

Thorn, who now lives in Devon, appeared at Reading Crown Court on November 29 and pleaded guilty to one charge of corruption, two charges of computer misuse and one charge of misconduct in a public office.

He was released on unconditional bail and will be sentenced on February 4, but, following his conviction, Wiltshire Police held a public gross misconduct hearing on Monday and Tuesday this week (December 13 and 14).

The hearing, chaired by an independent Legally Qualified Chair, considered six counts of gross misconduct relating to a period of time between June 2016 and June 2018, and centred on the inappropriate relationship.

They included accessing police computer systems in order to obtain personal data about members of the public and passing on confidential policing information.

The hearing found that all six counts of gross misconduct were proven.

PC Thorn was arrested in 2018 when the allegations came to light and immediately suspended from the Force.

The investigation was carried out by Wiltshire Police, supervised by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said: “PC Thorn significantly abused his position as a police officer by making contact with a vulnerable woman he met on duty and then going on to pursue a sexual relationship with her.

“Once in that relationship, he further betrayed the trust invested in him by the public, by illegally accessing police computer systems and obtaining personal information and data which he went on to pass to the woman.

“His actions were not only illegal, but were a consistent and sustained flagrant breach of the standards the police service and the public rightly expect of those who serve in the office of police constable.

“As soon as the Force was aware of these serious allegations, PC Thorn was immediately arrested and suspended from duty. In addition, the matters were referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC).

“There is no place in the police service for individuals such as former officer PC Thorn and his actions have harmed trust and confidence in policing, whilst undermining the work of the exceptionally committed members of our organisation who strive to provide an outstanding service to the communities they serve.

“Wiltshire Police remains committed to ensuring each and every officer and staff member discharges their duties to the highest standards and, as this case proves, we will act swiftly and robustly when these are not met. Furthermore, if any member of the community has concerns relating to the professionalism of those who serve within our organisation, we would encourage them to come forward at the earliest opportunity.”

Philip Wilkinson, Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire, said: “This is the third misconduct hearing at Wiltshire Police since I was elected into office that involves a police officer’s inappropriate behaviour towards women.

“Former Police Constable Darren Thorn abused his position of trust to form a completely inappropriate sexual relationship with a victim he met when attending her home in the course of his duties.

“It would be a huge injustice to the vast majority of officers and staff at Wiltshire Police who carry out their roles with integrity to suggest that this was representative of the wider Force, but it would be wholly misguided to suggest that these former officers are lone ‘bad apples’.

“Cases like this chip away at public trust and I continue to work with the Chief Constable to eradicate any trace of corruption and misconduct within Wiltshire Police to ensure that we do not end up in a place where that public trust cannot be rebuilt.

“Those who abuse their position of trust must, and will be weeded out.

“Their time in policing is up.”

Get more Salisbury news. 

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date, as well as signing up for one of our newsletters.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.