Three Kent Police Officers Sacked After Separate Hearings Exposed Unwanted Sexual Touching, Racist Remarks And A Lie That Left Six Children Without A Safeguarding Referral

Three Kent Police officers have been sacked after separate misconduct cases exposed sexual misconduct towards female colleagues, racist remarks and dishonesty over an arrest.

One officer kissed a sleeping colleague in hospital before later sexually touching her without consent. Another subjected fellow recruits to unwanted touching and sexual comments during their training.

A third lied to a custody sergeant about where a wanted man had been arrested — and failed to make a safeguarding referral for six young children.

PC Patrick Wade, PC White and PC Harry Lewis were dismissed without notice after findings of gross misconduct in decisions issued in September and October.

Officer kissed sleeping colleague in hospital

Wade, who worked on a CID team based at Medway police station, had driven a female colleague to hospital when she became seriously unwell with suspected appendicitis.

The woman, identified in the report as PC A, was in pain, exhausted and frightened about the possibility of surgery.

She had previously made clear that she did not share Wade’s romantic feelings.

But while she slept in a waiting area at Medway Maritime Hospital in January 2025, Wade leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

The panel found that she had neither consented nor reciprocated.

It concluded that her earlier physical closeness to Wade while seeking comfort did not entitle him to kiss her.

Later, after driving her to her grandmother’s home, Wade kissed her and rubbed her groin over her clothing without consent.

The woman told investigators: “It was the last thing on my mind considering the situation.”

Wade maintained that the contact was consensual. The panel rejected his account of those incidents and found that he did not reasonably believe she was consenting.

A separate kiss outside the hospital was found to have involved reluctant consent.

The panel concluded that Wade had taken advantage of his colleague when she was vulnerable. His behaviour breached the standards of Authority, Respect and Courtesy and Discreditable Conduct.

Despite positive character references and a previously unblemished record, the panel dismissed him after a hearing held from 21 to 24 September.

The panel found that he had shown no insight or remorse. Wade_Kent Police

Female recruits subjected to unwanted touching

White’s case concerned a pattern of sexual comments, unwanted physical contact and racist remarks during police training.

One female colleague described him grabbing her from behind and pressing himself against her on approximately 10 to 15 occasions.

She also described White draping an arm over her shoulder and touching her breast, leaving her shocked, uncomfortable and afraid.

The panel accepted her evidence and found that his actions amounted to unwanted sexual contact.

Another colleague described White wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and pressing his groin against her backside. Witnesses said she appeared trapped and uncomfortable.

The hearing also considered evidence that White spoke about pursuing a colleague despite knowing she had a boyfriend.

During statement training, after she completed personal details on a form, he remarked that he could stalk her.

The panel heard that his comments left her anxious and that she had sometimes gone home crying.

White did not attend the hearing, which took place at Kent Police headquarters in Maidstone from 5 to 7 October.

His explanations from earlier interviews were considered, including claims that some remarks concerned jokes or discussions about chat-up lines.

Several allegations were dismissed or not upheld. But the panel found that the proven behaviour included sexual harassment and racist language.

It concluded that White’s conduct was deliberate, targeted and repeated, breaching Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Equality and Diversity, and Discreditable Conduct.

He was dismissed without notice and ordered to be placed on the Barred List. White_Kent Police

Officer lied about arrest at home with six children

Lewis’s dismissal followed an arrest that should have prompted a child safeguarding referral.

On 7 February 2026, he arrested a known violent man who was wanted on recall to prison at the threshold of a property’s back door.

Six young children were present, and Lewis interacted with them inside the home.

The man repeatedly asked Lewis not to inform social services. Lewis assured him that he would not make a report.

Later, when a custody sergeant asked whether officers had come across the man in the street, Lewis falsely said they had.

He also failed to complete a social services referral, despite information showing that the children were already known to services as children in need.

Lewis admitted gross misconduct, including breaches of Honesty and Integrity and Duties and Responsibilities.

The chair accepted that he intended his initial approach to keep a potentially volatile man calm in front of the children.

But there was no justification for continuing the deception once the man was in police custody.

The decision acknowledged that no evidence showed actual injury to a child or direct safeguarding harm attributable to the delay. Nevertheless, the potential harm was significant.

Lewis, an experienced officer who was safeguarding trained and performing an acting supervisory role, was dismissed without notice in an outcome.