A West Yorkshire Police officer has been dismissed without noticed after sending 'inappropriate' Snapchat messages to a teenage girl.

PC Ian Bell was sacked following a two-day misconduct hearing in Wakefield, which began on Monday, July 30.

He had senta number of 'inappropriate and unprofessional' messages to a 14-year-old girl in July 2017, the day after he met her at a children's home.

He was initially called to the children's home to deal with a report of a missing person.

Claire Watson, who led the case against PC Bell, told the panel the seriousness of the officer’s offences means ‘dismissal is the only realistic option available’.

Adam Birkby, representing PC Bell, said his actions were a 'catastrophic error of judgement'.

Bell had served as a police officer for more than 20 years.

Misconduct hearing brought to an end

That is the end of the two-day misconduct hearing here in Wakefield.

PC Bell has been dismissed from West Yorkshire Police without notice after serving as a police officer for more than 20 years.

He does have the right to appeal against the ruling.

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'No other outcome is sufficient'

Mr Payne said the following factors made PC Bell’s offence very serious:

  • This is a case of sexual impropriety, involving a vulnerable child in care
  • PC Bell sent the messages for ‘malign sexual gratification’ when he was drunk and off duty
  • The child said she was confused by the messages and initially worried that someone was stalking her
  • His actions created a risk of ‘serious harm’ that police officers are supposed to protect people from, not ‘expose them to it’
  • There are currently no signs of the child suffering ‘long lasting harm’ but there is still a potential for ‘ongoing harm’
  • His actions may also ‘seriously harm’ the reputation of the police and the public’s confidence in them

Mr Payne said the panel also considered several mitigating factors, including the fact that ‘matters did not extend beyond a single reference of sex’, and took into account his previous good character and his years of ‘highly valued’ service.

But the panel ultimately decided the seriousness of his offence meant “no other outcome is sufficient” and that the experienced officer must be dismissed without warning.

Mr Payne added:

“He has clearly made a significant contribution to the police, but that makes his conduct in this case all the more terrible.”

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PC Bell dismissed from the police force

The panel has decided to dismiss PC Bell from the police force without notice.

When announcing the decision, Mr Payne, chair of the misconduct panel, said the panel had taken into account the seriousness of the offence, the harm caused and the aggravating and mitigating factors.

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A short break

The panel has decided to take a break and review what it has heard before making a decision on PC Bell’s future.

After ruling that a member of the police force has committed gross misconduct, the panel has the power to:

  • Dismiss the officer without notice
  • Dismiss them with notice
  • Issue a final written warning
  • Issue a written warning
  • Ensure they are spoken to and offered advice by senior management

The panel is due to make a final decision at around 1pm.

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'He was on the cusp of progressing to sergeant'

Adam Birkby, representing PC Bell, said:

This was undoubtedly a catastrophic error of judgement that was completely out of character, in my submission.

He asked the misconduct panel to allow PC Bell to remain on the police force and outlined a number of mitigating circumstances, including:

  • The were no suggestion from PC Bell that they should engage in sexual activity
  • The contact was ‘indirect rather than face-to-face’ so there was no chance of a sexual act taking place
  • The ‘actual risk of sexual harm posed was limited’

Mr Birkby went on to say that PC Bell is an experienced and decorated officer who has won a number of commendations and awards, including a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, and he was ‘on the cusp of progressing to sergeant’ when he sent the messages.

He also said PC Bell’s colleagues have described him as a ‘dedicated and extremely hard working officer’ who is committed to West Yorkshire Police force.

Mr Birkby added:

“If you were to cut him down the middle he would be West Yorkshire Police through and through.”

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"Nothing less than dismissal without notice would be sufficient"

Mr Watson went on to say there are a number of agrrivating factors in this case, such as:

  • The child is a ‘particularly vulnerable’
  • PC Bell’s ‘abuse of his position of abuse of trust’ for sexual reasons
  • He ‘chose a method of contact that he knew would leave no trace’ because he knew his actions were improper

She then said:

“Nothing less than dismissal without notice would be sufficient to maintain public confidence in the police.”

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The panel will now decide whether it should dismiss PC Bell.

Mr Payne said he will take into account ‘excellent references’ from other police officers and members of the public.

Claire Watson, who is leading the case against PC Bell, told the panel the seriousness of the officer’s offences means ‘dismissal is the only realistic option available’.

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PC Bell's actions could do 'real damage to public opinion of police'

After revealing the panel’s reasons for reaching a gross misconduct verdict, Mr Payne said PC Bell’s actions could potentially do ‘real damage to public opinion of the police’.

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Reasons for the gross misconduct ruling

Mr Payne gave a number of reasons for the panel’s ruling of gross misconduct including:

  • There was ‘no legitimate policing purpose’ for contacting the girl
  • There were no signs that she was in immediate danger
  • He did not alert any other members of staff at the care home or anyone else before contacting her
  • He was off duty and drunk
  • The messages were ‘unsolicited and instigated’ by PC Bell
  • He chose to use Snapchat, knowing ‘it would involve the automatic deletion of messages’
  • PC Bell ‘did not introduce himself as a police officer’ and she only found out when he asked her
  • When she told him she ‘did not care if someone took advantage of her’ he responded by saying ‘cheeky’
  • He asked her if she liked sex
  • He asked her to delete the messages when it was likely that he had ‘realised he had gone too far’
  • There was ‘improper sexual motivation on PC Bell’s part’
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More on the judgement

Mr Payne said PC Bell’s actions would still have amounted to gross misconduct, even if the panel accepted his ‘version of events’ and claim that the Snapchat messages were not sexually motivated.

The panel ruled that the experienced police officer breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to:

  • Authority, respect and courtesy
  • Orders an instructions
  • Discreditable conduct
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'The Snapchat messages f***** her head up'

He said:

The contact with (the child) was a serious departure from proper policing practice on the part of PC Bell and it does not withstand scrutiny.

He added:

This case involves improper contact late at night, between PC Bell, who was off duty and under the influence of alcohol and a 14 year old girl in the care of the local authority.

The chair of the misconduct panel also said the girl has told police that the Snapchat messages ‘f***** her head up’ and the messages about sex ‘made her feel sick’.


He also pointed out that when a member of staff at the care home saw the messages she felt ‘totally shocked’ and could not believe they had been sent by a police officer.

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'His actions amounted to gross misconduct'

Mr Payne said the panel has found that ‘there were sexual motivations on the part of PC Bell’ and his actions amounted to gross misconduct.

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Judgement Imminent

Geoffrey Payne, chair of the panel, is about to give his judgement.

The panel heard all the facts of the case and evidence from witnesses on the first day yesterday.

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Hearing adjourned for the day

The hearing has adjourned for today and the panel is expected to give its ruling tomorrow morning when it reconvenes at 10am.

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A matter of 'drunken idiocy'

PC Bell’s counsel, Adam Birkby, in his closing submissions to the panel said this was a matter of “drunken idiocy” but that he “deserved the benefit of the doubt” and that his client had made “a very poor error of judgment.”
He said: “In my submission the overwhelming majority of the conversation is non-sexual.”
He added that “the panel may have formed the view that his experience has bred a certain complacency, possibly even arrogance rather than anything worse and that may go some way to explaining the difficulties that he thought [the victim], might encounter.”

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'Blatant abuse of position'

In a concluding speech to the panel Ms Watson described PC Bell’s demeanour as ‘defensive, evasive and throughout uneasy’.
She said:

“You may think if his motives were pure you would think he would be straightforward in his answers to you. You would think he would accept responsibility for his actions.”

“The panel may think the sexual intent of his actions were a blatant abuse of his position as a police officer.”

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PC Bell: 'I'm happily married - I was trying to help'

Ms Watson accused him of attempting to groom her by escalating the conversation to a sexual level.
She said: “It was for no other reason other than for your own sexual gratification.”
But PC Bell denied this saying: “I’m happily married. All I try to do is to help people.”
Later he said: “If I was sexually interested in her I could have opened that avenue.”

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Turning to the events of July 20 Ms Watson said:

“When you say you were drinking according to the scale of 1-10 you were very drunk when you started messaging the girl?

Bell: “Yes”


Watson: “You initiated contact with her didn’t you?


Bell: “Yes”


Watson: “She didn’t give you her contact details - you sought them out on the internet didn’t you?

“You say in your evidence that your contact was about your concerns about her welfare. The appropriate thing to do was to raise them at the children’s home.

“You didn’t raise your concerns when you were lucid and sober. You didn’t raise your concerns with any other officers including PC Foy.”

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He said he was 'attempting to build a rapport' with the 14-year-old girl

Under cross-examination by Claire Watson, PC Bell, a married man with almost 23 years’ experience, explained that on the night shift when he was Investigating a missing person, he was in the role of assessor and tutoring a colleague, PC Steve Foy.

He said he was attempting to build a rapport with the 14-year-old girl, breaking down barriers because he was in uniform and was trying to get information from her to help locate the missing person.

Ms Watson said: “You were cultivating a relationship with her?”
He replied that was correct “if you put it that way”.

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"I let the force down"

Under questioning from his legal representative, Mr Birkby, PC Bell, 46, admitted that due to his actions he had “let the Force down, I have let myself down.”

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Ms Watson said that after the matter was reported to the police PC Bell was interviewed under caution.

She said that he gave no answers but provided a prepared statement.

He explained that he asked the girl about whether she liked sex because he had been concerned that in their chat she had been indifferent as to whether she was “taken advantage of”.

He said:

“I was trying to discourage her from getting into trouble.”

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PC Bell is about to give evidence

PC Bell, who has 23 years experience as a PC, has now started giving evidence and is being questioned by his counsel, Adam Birkby.

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Ms Watson said that a witness said in a statement that she “couldn’t believe a police officer was sending these messages.

I was totally shocked. I felt sick that a police officer was contacting a 14-year-old girl.

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'Snapchat stalker'

Ms Watson who is leading West Yorkshire Police’s case against PC Bell said that the girl initially thought she had a ‘Snapchat stalker’ before discovering that it was the police officer who had spoken to her the previous day.


She said his question to her about whether she liked sex “made her feel weird”.

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Messages referring to sex and drugs

Ms Watson said that he sent the messages on July 20 and “had consumed a quantity of alcohol. By midnight he was drunk.”

She says the messages PC Bell sent her included references to “seeing her in a towel”, “whether she liked sex” and whether she liked taking drugs at parties.

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PC Bell got the girl's details from Facebook

The person representing the Professional Standards Directorate of West Yorkshire Police, Ms Watson, has said that PC Bell obtained the girl’s details from her Facebook account.

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The panel

The case is being heard by a panel of three men and is due to last two days.

PC Bell accepts that his actions amounted to misconduct but not gross misconduct.

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We are getting underway

A Police misconduct hearing is taking place in Wakefield regarding PC Ian Bell.


It is alleged that on July 19, 2017, PC Bell attended a children’s home following a report of a missing person.


The case revolves around his conduct in allegedly sending “suggestive”, inappropriate and unprofessional comments via Snapchat to a vulnerable 14-year-old girl while off duty the following day.

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