Oliver Banfield: West Midlands ex-PC banned from policing

A police officer who resigned after drunkenly assaulting a woman has been barred from rejoining the ranks.

Former West Midlands Police PC Oliver Banfield admitted assaulting Emma Homer last July while drunk.

Banfield was given a curfew sentence, sparking criticism he was not jailed.

At a misconduct hearing, West Midlands Police Chief Constable Sir David Thompson said, had Banfield not stepped down, he "would have been dismissed without notice".

Banfield was given a community order and instructed to pay £500 in compensation after admitting the street attack at a magistrates' court hearing in March.

At the accelerated misconduct hearing on Tuesday, Sir David ruled Banfield, who did not attend, was guilty of gross misconduct and his use of force had been "wholly unnecessary and disproportionate."

"The officer was drunk, the officer was off-duty and the officer engaged in assault and abusive behaviour and the use of misogynistic comments towards the victim," Sir David said.

"It's very clear that the incident has caused her significant psychological distress.

"Frankly the facts of this case show this was behaviour by an immature recruit, somebody who was very much a civilian in uniform and had not made the transition to becoming a police officer with the values and standards expected."

Banfield will be added to a College of Policing record to ensure he is unable to rejoin the police service.

The 25-year-old admitted a charge of assault by beating on Ms Homer, who was walking home in Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Homer had said the attack had left her with "anxiety, insomnia and stress...compounded by the slow response from Warwickshire Police".

The Warwickshire force has has since apologised, admitting its "initial response...was not as swift as it should have been."

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