A police officer found to have been in a sexual relationship with a woman he initially met when she was a victim of crime has been sacked.

PC Dermot Dunne, from Bedfordshire Police, was instantly dismissed at the conclusion of a four-day misconduct hearing and will be placed on the barred list. He had been suspended prior to the hearing.

The case brings the number of officers dismissed by the force in the last 12 months to 10 – five of which were for sexual offences.

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Following the dismissal, Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said the outcome reinforced the force’s zero tolerance for misconduct, particularly sexual offences.

He said: “The behaviour of PC Dunne was appalling and completely unacceptable.

“There is simply no place in our organisation for anyone capable of such abhorrent behaviour and we will continue to do everything possible to root out any individual who falls short of the high standards I demand of our officers and staff.

“We are working hard to build an inclusive culture which does not tolerate such behaviour or attitudes, and we actively encourage colleagues to call out concerns so we can take action or address behaviour at an early stage.

“Likewise, the public should know that their concerns and reports of misconduct and unethical behaviour will be thoroughly investigated.

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“We know behaviour and cases such as this will concern our communities, but I want to reassure people that we are determined to identify anyone in our ranks who behaves like this and get them out of policing for good.

"We are committed to keeping women and girls safe and expect the highest standards of professionalism and integrity from our officers and staff."

PC Dunne was found to have started a sexual relationship with a victim of crime in 2005. She alleged that he had attacked her one night after plying her with a sedative.

The victim did not want to support a criminal investigation when the matter was reported last year, therefore the investigation was taken on by the force’s Professional Standards Department.

The allegations with regards to sexually attacking the victim and use of a sedative were found not proven by the panel. 

A four-day hearing found PC Dunne had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour, and that his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.

He will be placed on the College of Policing barred list, banning him from returning to policing.