A POLICE officer who sent an unwanted offensive video and acted "in a sexually inappropriate" towards someone he met online would have been fired had he not resigned.

Former police constable Stephen Yeates' behaviour was found to have amounted to gross misconduct during a hearing at Wiltshire Police Headquarters between September 3 and 4.

The hearing, chaired by assistant chief constable Deb Smith, concluded that Mr Yeates' actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers.

In February 2024, while off duty, Mr Yeates met an individual online through a mobile dating application.

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Then, over the course of around a week, he sent a video clip which was found to be offensive and acted in a sexually inappropriate manner towards them both in person and via messages, which was unwanted.

Stephen Yeates was placed on the barred list after a hearing in Devizes.Stephen Yeates was placed on the barred list after a hearing in Devizes. (Image: Newsquest)

The panel considered one allegation broken down into 24 points, with 20 found proven against former PC Yeates, who resigned in August 2024.

Had Mr Yeates not resigned, he would have been dismissed without notice. He has also been placed on the barred and advisory list.

Deputy chief constable Craig Dibdin said: “The behaviour displayed by former PC Yeates falls short of the very high standards we expect of both officers and staff, on and off duty. We are extremely grateful to the witness in this case who assisted us with our investigation into his behaviour.  

“I would like to underline the importance of officers upholding high standards of behaviour at all times and would urge members of our communities to report any concerns where they believe behaviour of our officers and staff has fallen short.”

Mr Yeates has 10 working days to appeal the outcome of the hearing.