Lincolnshire Police have explained why an officer who was found to have groped two female colleagues wasn’t charged with a crime.
Mr Wakefield, who denied the allegations, was arrested and interviewed after the officers reported this in 2024, but wasn’t charged, writes Local Democracy Reporter Jamie Waller.
However, a misconduct panel held last week found he had committed gross misconduct and would have been fired if he hadn’t already resigned from the force in October.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Criminal proceedings were not pursued due to evidential difficulties.”
Misconduct panels have a lower burden of proof than criminal trials, which must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The officers, whose names can’t be reported for legal reasons, told the misconduct panel they were left feeling violated and embarrassed by Mr Wakefield’s actions.
Person A claimed he grabbed her hips from behind as she danced and rubbed his penis against her, and Person B said he had groped her bum under her skirt.
Mr Wakefield, who was stationed in Boston, told the panel: “I haven’t done it, it’s as simple as that.
“We need to get sex pests out of the police, and I’ve fully cooperated with the investigation.”
Person A said she experienced a “feeling of dread” at work the next day when she could have been alone with Mr Wakefield, and reported what had happened to her sergeant.
Charley Rimmer, the chairperson of the panel, said: “A reasonable member of the public would be alarmed and shocked to learn of the officer’s conduct”.
There was deemed to be a “high risk of repetition” if he had remained in the force.
Mr Wakefield is currently barred from joining any other police forces.
