Published Date: 15.01.2019

A man who told police that he would keep ‘stalking’ a female police officer has had a complaint against the officer dismissed by the Police Ombudsman.

The man had made a complaint of ‘oppressive behaviour’ to the Ombudsman’s Office after the police officer told his solicitor she would have him arrested if he didn’t stop contacting her.

The officer, who was conducting an investigation in which the man was a suspect, had interviewed him as part of that inquiry at the start of April last year. She then contacted the Police Ombudsman’s Office at the end of May to note that she had advised him after interview that any further contact would be made through his solicitor.

During the investigation into the man’s complaint, the police officer told Ombudsman staff she had felt ‘harrassed’ by his attempts to contact her after five attempted communications between April and May.

The man denied making any phone calls to the officer and said she had no issue with his emails and insisted her approach to his solicitor amounted to misconduct.

However, police records showed that as well as two emails and a police switchboard message, the man had attempted to contact the officer on two occasions by phone.

The records also showed that on one of those occasions he told police staff that the female officer being on leave was ‘ridiculous’ and that he would continue to ‘stalk’ her.

The man’s solicitor confirmed to Ombudsman investigators that the officer had approached him at the start of June and spoke about his client’s numerous attempts to contact her. The solicitor confirmed the police officer said that if the behaviour continued she would seek the man’s arrest for harassment.

As the available evidence showed that the police officer had informed the man that any further contact with him would be made through his solicitor, her approach to the solicitor regarding the man’s ongoing attempts to contact her did not amount to misconduct. The complaint was closed as unsubstantiated.