Detective barred for sexually harassing colleague.

A former Sussex Police detective would have been fired if he had not quit after sexually harassing a female colleague, a misconduct panel has found.

Det Sgt Sebastian Day sent “sexually suggestive” texts to the woman, who works for the police, both on and off duty, according to police.

The 39-year-old was suspended after the allegations were disclosed in April 2021, but he resigned in November 2022. He has been placed on the College of Policing’s barred list, which prevents him from returning to policing.

A misconduct hearing in Lewes on Monday heard that Mr Day, who worked in the Brighton and Hove division, sent the texts to his colleague on April 23, 2021.The panel determined that the claim of sexual harassment was proven and constituted gross misconduct. Det Supt Andy Wolstenholme, deputy head of the force’s professional standards department, stated:

“Whether on or off duty, police officers must behave in a manner that does not discredit the police service or undermine the public’s trust in our officers.” “All staff are aware of appropriate professional boundaries and the serious consequences when there is any abuse of their position.”

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