Craig Grocott: ex-GMP officer who sent sexually explicit messages to colleagues is barred from serving

A former GMP officer who sexually-explicit messages, photos and videos to two female colleagues has been barred from ever serving in the police again.

Craig Grocott, who resigned from the force in October 2021, was ‘persistent’ and ‘predatory’ in his pursuit of the two female police officers who he worked with, a misconduct hearing panel was told on Thursday (February 9).

He sent sexually explicit photos and videos of himself on Snapchat to both of the officers and waited for one outside of her place of work before sending her messages saying ‘I defo wanted to kiss you’ and ‘I should come give you one now’.

This caused her to panic because she worried that he was following her, the hearing was told.

Both female officers felt ’embarrassed’, ‘foolish’ and blamed themselves for receiving the unwanted advances, the panel was told.

Despite expressing their wishes for Grocott to stop, he took their politeness as a ‘green light’ to keep sending sexually explicit content, a representative for GMP said.

Representing the force, Louise Ravenscroft said public confidence in male officers has been at a ‘particularly low point’ recently and argued that GMP must send a message that this behaviour is ‘absoutely unacceptable’.

The panel concluded Grocott’s actions amounted to gross misconduct and that he should be barred from serving for the police again.

Tribunal Judge Trevor Jones said: “The only option that we would have had if the officer was still serving would have been immediate dismissal when you look at the purpose of the regulations – protecting public confidence, declaration of high standards, protecting police officers staff and the public.”

The former police officer was the subject of a complaint nine months after joining the force when a female colleague reported receiving ‘flirtatious’ and ‘insinuating’ messages which made her feel ‘awkward’ and ‘uncomfortable’.

The communication ultimately escalated with a video sent on Snapchat showing himself in a state of undress, in which he was behaving sexually.

The female officer ‘immediately deleted’ the video and asked Grocott to stop messaging her. This did not deter him from messaging her, despite knowing she had a partner, the panel heard.

Another female officer also said that she received ‘flirtatious’ messages from Grocott. He also sent her images of himself lying topless in his bed as well as a sexually explicit image on Snapchat with a suggestive message.

After a period without communication, the female officer found him waiting outside her place of work causing ‘confusion and alarm’, the panel heard.

They both go into their respective vehicles before she received messages from him saying ‘I defo wanted to kiss you’ and ‘I should come give you one now’.

Worrying that he was following her, this led her to panic and pull over. Grocott continued to message while she was at the gym, encouraging her to send him selfies with a message saying ‘them leggings’ and a heart emoji.

Both officers, who were granted anonymity at the hearing, blamed themselves for receiving the ‘unwanted’ and ‘unsolicited’ messages and videos. They explained that their responses rejecting his advances were ‘quite polite’ and felt they were perhaps not as blunt as they could have been.

The panel heard the former officer expressed remorse during an interview in August in which he accepted that he sent these messages.

However, he said that, by being friendly, his female colleagues were sending ‘mixed messages’, according to the force’s representative at the hearing.

She said he referred to images one officer posted publicly on Instagram taking pride in her weight lost with a before and after shot. She said: “This does not equate to flirtation on her part. She should be able to so without fear or risk.”

Grocott stopped engaging with the investigation after he resigned from the force in September 2021. His last day at GMP was in October 2021. The panel was told that all reasonable efforts to locate the former officer were made before the hearing, therefore the case should be heard in his absence.

Chaired by tribunal judge Trevor Jones, the panel of three which included GMP Superintendent Marcus Nolan and independent member Mansoor Shah, found that former PC Grocott’s actions amounted to gross misconduct.

They concluded that he would be ‘immediately dismissed’ had he still been serving in the force and decided he should be barred from serving elsewhere.