A former police officer who spat at and headbutted colleagues while off duty committed gross misconduct, a disciplinary panel has concluded.
Jamie Hornett, who was a constable at Hertfordshire Constabulary, became aggressive while at a social event with colleagues on December 2, 2023.
At that event, he was detained under the Mental Health Act after spitting at another constable and headbutting an inspector.
Hornett was charged with two counts of assault on emergency workers, but the case against him was discontinued by the police.
A police misconduct panel concluded that he had broken professional behaviour standards and would have been dismissed if he had still been a serving police officer.
The panel’s report said that Hornett’s behaviour was “a significant deviation from instructions” and involved “intoxicated violence following multiple warnings”.
Hornett, who was described as having “personal health challenges” and had been absent from work through illness during the investigation, accepted that his conduct amounted to gross misconduct and apologised to those affected by his behaviour.
He resigned from the police before the hearing began.
Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Deputy Chief Constable, Andy Mariner, said Hornett’s behaviour was “completely unacceptable and fell far below the high standards that we expect from everyone who serves with the constabulary”.
He said: “Even when off duty, officers must hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct, as they continue to represent the profession and the trust placed in us.
“We take breaches of these standards seriously, and this case shows that such behaviour is dealt with appropriately.”
Hornett has been added to the Police Barred List and cannot serve as a police officer in future.
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