A “predatory” police officer who groped, made lewd comments, sent sex tapes and belittled women officers has been fired from the force.
Over three years PC Lee Harrison is accused of asking female officers for blowjobs and hand jobs “every day, more than twice a day”, touching them inappropriately “countless times”, and sending videos of himself performing a sex act.
He turned a new recruit known as Witness A upside to smell her private parts and bent her over a police car boot to simulate sex with her.
The disgraced former officer, who once fell asleep on duty and had his gun stolen, also told the junior cop he did not know why women joined up if they did not “put out”.
The behaviour from 2014 to 2017 which included undoing female colleagues’ bras. left those on the receiving end feeling “uncomfortable and ashamed.”
The three women, two of whom were new recruits, felt they could not complain because they believed the behaviour was normal in the Met Police.
Married Harrison’s behaviour was “laughed off” and the officer of 17 years told his victims they “couldn’t handle the banter.”
Harrison from North East Command Unit was brought before a Police Public Misconduct Hearing after complaints about his behaviour were eventually made.
He failed to attend the hearing and had no legal representation but “categorically denied” any wrongdoing.
The panel found the majority of the 31 allegations proven as gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice.
Described as a “Jeckyll and Hyde” character, Harrison called witness A, a junior officer on her first job in the force, a “joke” and a “fucking disgrace” daily.
Clare Hennessy, on behalf of the Met Police, told the hearing Harrison said: “‘I don’t know why women are allowed in this job, if they don’t put out, what’s the point? ‘
“He pushed her over a car boot and simulated having sex with her.
“He picked Witness A up, turned her upside down and said ‘I can smell your vagina’.”
Police Sergeant Stuart Murray who attended was given a final written warning after some of the allegations of gross misconduct were proven.
He was said to have failed to challenge PC Harrison’s inappropriate behaviour and allowing an overly-sexualised working environment to develop.
PS Murray was also accused of making inappropriate sexual comments in a WhatsApp entitled Merry fucking Christmas saying he would only attend if there was a strip club on the cards and talked about hiring prostitutes.
Ms Hennessy said: “He turned a blind eye or engaged in that behaviour himself.”
Ms Hennessy added PS Murray encouraged Witness A not to complain about him and added: “You said ‘I have been good to you’.
“You encouraged an officer not to proceed in allegations about you.
“You asked her ‘are you upset you weren’t touched up then?
“You allowed an overly sexualised working environment to develop.”
PS Murray had tried to resign in February 2017 but his resignation was refused because of the allegations and then was accused of neglecting his duties when he didn’t turn up for work after then.
CCTV played at the hearing showed PC Harrison grab Witness A by the vest and push her to the floor of a police van.
Witness A giving evidence at the hearing said: “He grabbed me by the back of my Met vest, he did it with a lot of force, I had bruises on my thighs and knees.
“He also raised his hand as if to backhand my face. I felt very uncomfortable and embarrassed.
“When I said anything he would tell me if was just banter. If I challenged him he said I couldn’t accept banter and this was banter.”
Harrison also put his tongue in the ear of Witness A on “countless occasions”
Cross examining the new recruit Witness A about the PC, Richard Atchley acting for Sergeant Stuart Murray asked: “Were aware that he had been disciplined before?
“He had fallen asleep on the job and someone had taken his gun off him.
“This is an officer of 17 years who became unhappy after he was taken off an armed squad.
“He was an angry man and he exhibited that anger in front of colleagues.
“And none of you went to PS Murray about it.”
She replied: “I was not aware.”
In Witness B’s statement she said PS Murray was present in the office when she was grabbed PC Harrison in an arm lock but he continued “looking at his computer.”
Ms Hennessy said: “PC Harrison grabbed witness B by the arm, put it behind her back, this caused her to go forward, bent over a table.
“He said if she took a doughnut he would kick her in the uterus.
“PS Murray failed to intervene. He failed to reprimand PC Harrison.”
“I know that there were other people in the office, someone should have said something to him.
“But everyone just laughed it off.
“They said ‘don’t worry about it, that’s Lee’s behaviour, that’s just how he is.’
“People didn’t really like to upset him.”
She added: “Lee ran the show. If Lee was in a bad mood, everyone was. Lee was awful to me, he was horrible.
“It shouldn’t have happened.”
By Grainne Cuffe
