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03
May 2023
Last Updated: 03/05/2023
Police sack Harrogate officer convicted of sexual assault
North Yorkshire Police's Alverton Court headquarters
A Harrogate police officer convicted of sexual assault has been sacked.
Joseph McCabe, 27, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and given a suspended sentence in March this year.
McCabe was given a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He was also placed on the sex-offenders register for seven years, fined £808 and given a three-year restraining order.
Following a misconduct hearing on Friday (April 28), North Yorkshire Police has now dismissed the 27-year-old without notice.
A decision notice published after the hearing, which was conducted by chief constable Lisa Winward, said:
“Having assessed the misconduct here as serious misconduct, which caused both direct harm to a victim that amounts to violence against women and girls, it is also an aggravating factor in respect of the seriousness of the allegations.
“It also has the potential to cause serious damage to the public confidence in the police and bearing in mind that the misconduct was so serious that it also amounted to an offence of sexual assault, in my judgment the only appropriate outcome is one of dismissal without notice.”
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McCabe was sentenced on March 31 at York Magistrates Court for sexually assaulting a woman at a Travelodge at Scotch Corner, where he was attending a wedding with a number of colleagues.
At the time, district judge Tan Ikram told McCabe he had given “no credible explanation as to why (the victim) would make up such a serious allegation”.
Following the outcome of the hearing, deputy chief constable Mabs Hussain commended the victim for coming forward.
He described the 27-year-old’s actions as “disgraceful”.
Mr Hussain said:
“Our communities need to know that they can have complete trust in their police, and that we demand the highest level of integrity from our officers and staff.
“McCabe’s disgraceful actions fell far below that standard. I commend the victim for her courage in coming forward so we could take action. I also hope the case sends a clear message that there is no place for this behaviour in policing – and that we will secure justice against perpetrators, no matter who they are.”
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