A disgraced Herts police officer who resigned last month has admitted to gross misconduct after pestering a victim of domestic violence for "friendship", repeatedly turning up uninvited at her home while on duty.

Lee Preece, a former Letchworth police constable, resigned on February 8 after admitting breaches of professional standards that amounted to gross misconduct.

The victim, Ms C, had met Mr Preece in 2011 "as a vulnerable victim of domestic violence", according to the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Professional Standards Department.

"As a member of the public, she was entitled to place her trust in him," the panel said.

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However, during a four-week period in 2021, Mr Preece began giving Ms C unwanted attention that left her suffering a panic attack and struggling to control her emotions, the panel found.

First, he sent her a message via Facebook Messenger saying: "Hey you. Saw your lights are on. Is it a bit late for coffee or are you free? X."

Then, another day, he followed her home when he spotted her driving her car, before speaking "at length about recent events in his life" while in her home, which made Ms C feel uncomfortable, the panel noted.

Mr Preece turned up again at her home unannounced, at 10.45pm one night, looking through the letterbox and knocking at the door, asking if she was free. Ms C had guests, so he left.

The next day, the officer drove past her home again.

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"The officer’s repeated presence in the area was noticed by local residents, who were concerned by it," the panel said.

Each time, he was on duty, driving a marked police vehicle and in full uniform, but his visits had no policing purpose.

Mr Preece had already been subject to an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct in 2019, the panel noted. While no misconduct was found, the investigation "reinforced the need for care when engaging with female members of the public", it said.

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The panel concluded: "The officer did abuse his position as an officer to engage with Ms C.

"But for his position as a police officer, he would not have met Ms C in the first place, nor had the opportunity to develop what he said was a friendship.

"Ms C has been significantly impacted by the officer’s misconduct.

"She told the panel that she suffered from a panic attack, often felt uncomfortable and struggled to control her emotions around the officer’s behaviours. She continues to feel anxious when the doorbell rings, when she has to open the door, and when she goes out."

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The panel listed a raft of aggravating factors, including the abuse of trust, position and powers; repeated behaviour over a sustained period of time, the serious psychological impact on Ms C, the vulnerability of Ms C when Mr Preece first met her, national concern over the abuse of position by police officers, and multiple proven breaches of the Standards of Professional Behaviour.

In a personal statement by Mr Preece, "there was no evidence of contrition, insights or an apology to Ms C", the panel added.

It concluded that he would have been sacked without notice, had he not already resigned.