Policeman sacked after calling in sick to go racing
A policeman has been sacked after taking sick days to watch his horse race.
PC Jonathan Adams, 32, of Gloucestershire Constabulary, called in sick multiple times when he was actually at the races.
On 30 September 2015, he did not turn up for work and told the force he was unwell.
However, instead of going to work he went to watch the racing at Nottingham where a horse he had a share in — Little Lady Katie — was running. This happened again on 6 April 2016.
PC Adams requested time off from 14-20 June 2016, which was refused by his line manager due to the operational problems this would cause.
PC Adams then failed to turn up to work on 17 June and again told the force he was sick.
Instead he went to Royal Ascot, where another horse he had an interest in — Quiet Reflection — was running.
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He was caught on television celebrating the horse’s victory in the Group One Commonwealth Cup.
In his defence, the hearing was told how PC Adams was genuinely sick on those days found going to the races helped him cope. Several positive character references were made in his favour, it has been reported by multiple news outlets.
All three of these gross misconduct allegations were proved at a two-day hearing, which took place at the force’s headquarters on 17-18 July, and PC Adams was dismissed without notice.
In a statement released after the hearing, Deputy Chief Constable Jon Stratford said the behaviour was “clearly unacceptable and not
befitting an officer”.
“We are aware that our officers have a high workload at this time, which makes it all the more unacceptable for an officer to let their colleagues down in this way,” he added.
“Policing in any area or department can be very challenging, particularly as the number of officers has decreased over the last few years.
“We recognise the impact this can have on welfare and have a number of safeguards in place, including a wellbeing programme and an occupational health nurse who specialises in mental health, to help ensure the welfare of our officers.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.