Former Herts Police sergeant who took "playful" sex life "too far" will not be able to serve again

A former Hertfordshire Police sergeant who took his “playful” sex life “too far” will not be able to serve again.

WARNING: This copy contains explicit detail about rough and potentially illegal sex acts.

A Gross Misconduct Hearing on Tuesday, May 9 “found proved” a catalogue of allegations against former PS 149 Tom Daly.

The Hertfordshire Constabulary panel was told the former officer was in an “intimate, personal” relationship with an unnamed constable – referred to as PC X.

They heard on one occasion during their relationship, former PS Daly disregarded PC X’s “request to end intercourse” but “forced her to continue until he had ejaculated”.

Photos supported an allegation PS Daly had punched PC X in the face during sex, according to a hearing decision report, and the sergeant had violent sex with PC X in a police station, which resulted in bruising to her wrists.

He also criticised PC X’s choice of dress for “as he perceived it, being too revealing”, told her she was a “psychopath”, and taking PC X’s work locker key without her knowledge and rummaging through the contents.

They heard an allegation of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, when, while on holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland, the former officer punched his victim in the face causing her to suffer reddening and a bloodshot eye.

Former PS Daly additionally “engaged in a work-related social media messaging chat with a junior member of staff, in which he discussed other members of staff under his leadership and confidential matters about them to which only he would have been privy”.

This amounted to a breach of confidentiality, the Hertfordshire Constabulary decision report reads.

The report confirms the former PS did not attend the panel hearing and was not represented.

PS Daly had been interviewed when the police considered criminal proceedings against him, but these resulted in “no further action” in August 2022.

He acknowledged the allegations against him would amount to controlling and coercive behaviour but denied they took place.

Afterwards, the ex-sergeant left the force and “declined to engage further in the process”.

Officer ‘exerted control’ over PC X

In reaching their decision, the panel discussed examples of coercive and controlling behaviour with “limited” evidence, referring to PC X as Officer A.

“Examples of controlling and coercive behaviour included turning up outside Officer A’s flat or at her parents address when she was staying there, taking Officer A’s locker key and rummaging through it, taking money from Officer A’s bank account without her knowledge or permission,” the report reads.

“Despite having a ‘playful’ sex life, on two occasions PS Daly went far too far, once asphyxiating her to the point she passed out, and on another occasion punching her to the face causing bruising and constituting the assault in Edinburgh.

“Whilst it is acknowledged that the direct evidence of PS Daly being responsible for each and every one of the alleged occurrences may be limited, it is indicative of the control he exerted over Officer A and the state of paranoia that this engendered within her that she assumed him to be responsible.”

Text messages and photographs supported the allegation he had “violent, aggressive intercourse” with the constable in a police station.

Another sergeant corroborated the story that PS Daly parked up outside PC X’s address.

“Daly terminated his relationship with Officer A and started a relationship with a different junior PC,” the report notes.

“That PS Daly can be seen to have been romantically concerned with three junior female officers further demonstrates a lack of judgement on his part, and a failure to recognise appropriate professional and hierarchical boundaries.”

College of Policing’s ‘barred’ list

Setting out their ruling, the Hertfordshire Constabulary report reads: “PS Daly is fully responsible for the conduct alleged.”

The report addresses the allegation he had shared confidential matters with a colleague – Officer B.

The panel found that PS Daly had acted in an “arguably reckless rather than deliberate” way, but he “ought to have foreseen the risk of harm”.

The report adds: “PS Daly has established an improper sexual relationship with Officers A, B and a third officer, all of whom were subordinate to him.

“The nature of the office of constable means that all police officers are in a position of trust and authority in relation to members of the public.

“An officer’s misconduct will be more culpable where it involves an abuse of this position.”

The panel concluded: “Officers should … always have high professional standards, given their work dealing with vulnerable members of the public.

“The public are entitled to expect no less.”

If PS Daly were still serving, the panel would have ruled he should be dismissed without notice.

His name will be included in the Police Barred List.

A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “Charges were considered against the former officer as part of the investigation but there was not enough evidence to proceed.

“However this was a non-contested hearing and the evidence wasn’t challenged.

“The witness accounts were accepted in full.”