A police sergeant from Dundee driven by a hatred of women to set up anonymous social media accounts to troll a female officer, has been told he will never be an officer again.
British Transport Police Sergeant Connor Phillips referred to his target as “my bitch” while using the account to send “inappropriate, upsetting and derogatory” messages to her and her friends.
He filed an anonymous report to the force’s standards committee accusing her of making bad comments against another officer.
He also pretended to be a member of the public to lodge a false complaint against a second officer.
A BTP spokeperson said: “The independent misconduct hearing panel took the view that his actions were driven by misogyny and amounted to sexual harassment.”
Phillips moved from Dundee in 2018 to join the force at Clapham Junction.
Sick social accounts set up
Detective Superintendent Peter Fulton, Head of BTP’s Professional Standards Department, said: “Connor Phillips is not fit to be a police officer and he won’t be ever again.
“Premeditated misogynistic behaviour of this kind by an officer is gravely worrying and this outcome sends a clear message that it simply will not be tolerated within BTP.”
A misconduct hearing held between January 9 and 17 was told Phillips set up anonymous social media accounts around October 2020 and made the “bitch ” comment between August and November of that year.
He sent her anonymous texts in March and May 2021, followed in July by the anonymous report to BTP’s Professional Standards Department.
His bullying behaviour included removing his target’s body-worn video in July, the month after he had lodged the false complaint purportedly from a member of the public against the second officer.
‘Abhorrent activity’
Phillips resigned in March 2022 but was formally dismissed following the hearing.
The panel concluded his actions amounted to gross misconduct and said he would have been dismissed had he still been a serving officer.
Mr Fulton added: “Connor Phillips launched a devious, systematic and highly planned attack against another officer which has understandably caused her and those close to her significant distress and concern over a long period of time.
“I would like to commend her courage in coming forward which enabled us to launch a lengthy and complex investigation into his abhorrent activity.
“I fully support the decision of the panel to dismiss him with immediate effect.”
Fulton moved from Dundee to London in 2018 and blogged about the reasons and his new life in the capital.
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