An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found Detective Constable John McCarthy was guilty of “gross misconduct” while a member of the force, it announced on Tuesday. Mr McCarthy – who resigned from the force at the start of September – was found to have “abused his position” as a Met Police officer to start a sexual relationship with a woman who was a suspect in a harassment case he was investigating in 2017.

       According to the Met, the inappropriate relationship began prior to April that year. "Former DC McCarthy also engaged in sexual relations while on duty" in that time "as well as on other occasions," a Met Police press release said.

       The case against the woman was subsequently discontinued. The Met said their sexual relationship continued after the case was dropped.

       Mr McCarthy also borrowed ￡3,580 from the woman in a series of payments, the IOPC found.

       The IOPC said it had found evidence that Mr McCarthy never intended to pay the woman back.

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       The IOPC added that he “would have been dismissed without notice if he had not already resigned” due to his indiscretions.

       Mr McCarthy has now been placed on a list of former officers barred from working for the police in the future.

       The police watchdog began their investigation in January 2018 after receiving a referral from the force, which ended in March 2020.

       The investigation concluded there was a case for gross misconduct.

       A two-day hearing concluded on October 12.

       It found that Mr McCarthy had breached the police’s professional standards of “honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, the police code of ethics and authority, respect and courtesy.”

       Sal Naseem, IOPC regional director, said Mr McCarthy’s actions have had “a corrosive, lasting impact on the public’s confidence in individual officers and the police service in general.”

       It was clear Mr McCarthy took “predatory steps for his own sexual gratification and personal gain.”

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       He added that the punishment he would have received had he not already quit the force was an “outcome police officers should expect and receive” for acting similarly.

       “This kind of behaviour had no place in policing,” he continued. “It is behaviour which can never be justified or condoned.

       “It is critical there are effective systems in place to prevent, monitor and deal swiftly with any individual officer who exploits or abuses the trust that people have in the police.”

       Responding to the ruling, Superintendent Simon Crick, commander of the North Area Basic Command Unit of the Met, said Mr McCarthy’s sexual relationship with a suspect "goes against the core principle that a police officer should discharge his or her duties with fairness, integrity and impartiality."

       He added: “The actions of this individual undermine all of the work that my officers do on a daily basis.

       “The one positive thing to come out of this is that this individual is no longer a police officer.

       “I want our community to know that I am sickened by such behaviour. I hope this demonstrates my commitment and the organisation's commitment to root out any individual who abuses their position of trust as a police officer.

       “The public deserve to have trust and confidence in the police and the outcome demonstrates how committed the Met is to rooting out wrongdoing within the organisation.”