A NORTHUMBRIA Police officer who bullied a vulnerable suicidal woman has kept his job.

A misconduct hearing was told PC Jon Hodgson attended the address of a woman in January 2021 after she called 999 and told police she was suicidal.

The hearing heard the officer was "aggressive, bullying and abusive" at her home.

PC Jon Hodgson admitted gross misconduct and the panel said his actions were due to his mental health at the time.

The woman, who has not been identified, had also called police earlier that evening and had been seen by other officers.

When PC Hodgson and a probationary officer arrived at the woman's home, PC Hodgson repeatedly shouted "What have you phoned the police for?" at her, the panel heard.

The incident was recorded on body-worn video footage.

When the woman, who was well-known to police, said she was suicidal, PC Hodgson said: "That is the reason why I'm going to lock you up".

When asked why, he said: "Because you can’t be trusted to look after yourself."

The hearing heard the officer asked the woman on three further occasions why she had telephoned the police, and on each occasion, she replied it was because she was suicidal.

He asked: "What do you think the police can do about it?"

The woman replied: "Help me and talk to me like they did earlier… [and be] nice to me."

PC Hodgson said: "No, because that was earlier on. Now, we’re pretty much sick of you."

The panel also heard when the woman went to move away from the officer and towards her front door, the officer said: "Right, that’s it, you’re being arrested”.

He then grabbed hold of the woman's right arm and twisted it behind her back, "using force which was not necessary, proportionate or reasonable in the circumstances", the panel was told.

The officer accepted his behaviour was unacceptable and that his conduct constituted gross misconduct.

The panel found the officer's conduct was "totally inappropriate."

They said: "The officer should have assisted the woman who needed help and should have received his help. Instead, the officer aggravated her situation and caused her real distress and suffering."

However, they said PC Hodgson was "mentally unwell" at the time, with medical experts agreeing that the officer was suffering from burn-out syndrome.

The officer said he was tired but did not himself recognise the extent of his mental health problems.

The panel said the incident was "totally out of character" for the officer, who is described as being "well thought of".

The panel considered "that the public interest is best served by this officer continuing to serve as a police officer", and decided to issue PC Hodgson a final written warning.