Inspector was 'chaser of young women', hearing told

A retired detective inspector has been described as a "serial chaser of very young women" at a misconduct hearing examining his actions towards a junior colleague.

Andrew Greaves is accused of accessing confidential information to find a young officer's name - known as PC A during proceedings - for personal reasons and then messaging her while he was leading the criminal investigations team (CID) in Bridgwater.

On the first day of a hearing at Avon and Somerset Police's headquarters, Greaves' researching of the officer's details was described as "creepy" by a barrister representing the force.

The 44-year-old denied any wrongdoing and said he contacted the officer for professional reasons.

He told a panel sitting in Portishead that he approached PC A near the end of his shift at Bridgwater police station because he recognised her.

He asked where they had met before and she replied it was at a serious incident involving a sudden death months earlier, the panel heard.

Greaves said he finished his shift and went home, where he logged onto the police database to find PC A's name and details to message her. He insisted this was done purely with the aim of recruitment.

However, barrister Mark Ley-Morgan, representing the constabulary, said Greaves' behaviour was "unwanted, flirtatious and made [PC A] feel extremely uncomfortable and awkward".

He said PC A told the inspector during their conversation that she was not interested in an attachment with CID, so there was no reason for a follow-up message.

Ley-Morgan said Greaves, a married father and former army captain with the Royal Artillery, used the offer of a CID attachment to "test the water" with the officer in the hope this would lead to continued contact.

"You are a serial chaser of very young women.

"The very reason you were speaking to PC A was because she's a young, attractive female officer," he added.

Greaves replied: "No, absolutely not. I would treat a male or someone of a different age the same, as I've done on many occasions."

Ley-Morgan said using the force database to find a fellow officer's details was "creepy" and Greaves had wanted an excuse to use his position as an inspector to open up a dialogue with PC A.

In a written response to the allegations, Greaves said: "I am completely devastated at the personal and professional impact that I can see that this interaction has had, completely unintentionally, on PC A.

"I do, however, wish to state that to be discriminatory and flirtatious with PC A was categorically not my intent, never has been and never would be, and believe my energy and friendliness has been misinterpreted."

Greaves denied his resignation indicated any admission of wrongdoing.

The hearing continues.

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