A former trainee police officer has been banned from ever serving in the UK police force after a disciplinary panel found she made unwanted sexual advances towards a male colleague during a night out.
The Night Out and Unwanted Advances
The virtual misconduct hearing, held on November 28, 2025, heard details of the incident involving former Police Constable Brogan Canning of North Yorkshire Police. After her initial advances were rejected by a colleague, Canning proceeded to ask him, ‘Do you think I’m fit?’.
The panel was told that Canning's behaviour escalated further. She allegedly attempted to kiss a more senior officer, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and told him ‘You know you want to’ while simultaneously touching his upper thigh.
Witness PC Nathan Mills described seeing Canning ‘stroked the hand’ of the male officer. The officer later clarified to Mills that she had actually been stroking his leg.
Career Consequences and Panel Ruling
In her own written statement, Canning did not dispute the allegations, describing her actions as ‘out-of-character’. She expressed remorse and stated she had extended personal apologies to the officer involved, acknowledging their previous friendship and that she had no reason to doubt his account.
Another colleague, PC Megan Smith, recalled that Canning was ‘acting oddly throughout the night’ and eventually put her in a taxi home. The male officer reported the incident to PC Smith immediately. In his evidence, he stated he ‘had expected more professional behaviour’ from a fellow officer.
The panel, which included Assistant Chief Officer Sarah Jackson as chair, assessed the case on written evidence. They found the statements from the male officer and his colleagues to be credible.
Gross Misconduct Finding and Barring
The panel concluded that Canning's actions amounted to gross misconduct. ACO Jackson stated that the matter involved ‘multiple breaches of the standards and clearly could have an impact on public confidence in policing and the reputation of the police service’.
The ruling determined that Canning would have been dismissed had she not already resigned from her position. As a result, she has now been placed on the police barred list, which permanently prevents her from serving in any UK police force.
The case highlights that trainee police constables are considered full police officers from their first day and are held to the same standards of professional behaviour.
