A sergeant who drunkenly groped a young police colleague and made inappropriate comments towards her has been sacked. 

At a Northumbria Police misconduct panel, which was held on February 28, the hearing heard that Chris Dormand drunkenly kissed and groped the young officer's breast and bottom during a boozy work party.

The panel also heard that when the young woman, a student officer, made her first arrest, Dormand found it a "turn-on" that she'd spoken to the suspect's mum in a foreign language.

The hearing heard that Sgt Dormand then said to the officer that her speaking a foreign language was "so hot" that he had to go back to the police station to perform a sex act on himself.

After hearing the evidence against him, the former sergeant has been barred from becoming a police officer again for any force in the UK.

Described as 'touchy-feely' and a flirt by colleagues, Dormand had denied inappropriate behaviour, with the allegations dating back as far as 2020.

But the panel ruled that despite being her supervisor, he'd also grabbed the woman's bottom inside a busy Newcastle bar on a night out in December 2021.

Alongside the allegations from a first officer, Dorman was also ruled to have asked a second female colleague to go to the bathroom with him.

"She said in her evidence that Sgt Dormand made her feel uncomfortable and that he was 'trying his luck'," states a summary of the hearing on the Northumbria Police misconduct section.

"No one else was present on either occasion and as he was capable of going to the toilet himself, she construed his language as an invitation to what she referred to as a sexual 'gesture'."

At the hearing, Dorman agreed that while his conduct was inappropriate and could be perceived as sexual, he denied every accusation.

He'd claimed he'd hugged several colleagues at the house party and claimed the young officer he was ruled to have invited to the bathroom had "either misheard or misunderstood the context of what he said".

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However, dismissing him for gross misconduct, the panel ruled his actions were "not an isolated lapse of judgement but a course of inappropriate language and behaviour".

"This is lamentable behaviour and precisely what needs to be eradicated if women are going to consider a career in policing and feel comfortable once recruited," stated the panel.

"Sgt Dormand was a supervisor present at the social event and thus, should have been a role model and have demonstrated professional behaviour, treating colleagues with respect. Instead, he was inappropriate and discourteous whilst under the influence of alcohol.

"Sgt Dormand behaved in a manner which would undoubtedly discredit the police service and undermine public confidence.

"He failed to act with self-control and tolerance, or treat colleagues with respect and courtesy, thus breaching the standard about authority, respect and courtesy."

"The panel are entirely satisfied that Sgt Dormand’s behaviour amounts to gross misconduct."