What was meant to be an off-duty evening with colleagues has now permanently closed the door on a young officer’s policing ambitions.
Trainee constable Brogan Canning has been barred from ever returning to the UK police service after a virtual misconduct panel ruled that her behaviour toward a senior colleague crossed the line into gross misconduct.
A Senior Colleague Caught Off Guard
According to evidence presented in the hearing, the situation unfolded during a night of heavy drinking.
Witnesses said they saw Canning leaning in close, stroking her colleague’s hand—something he later clarified had actually been her stroking his leg.
Multiple accounts described her repeatedly goading him with “you know you want to,” before asking the pointed question: “Do you think I’m fit?”
He told the panel the exchange left him feeling a mix of embarrassment and anger, and he had expected far more professionalism from someone he had once tutored and considered a friend.
Witnesses Describe an Uncomfortable Scene
Several officers present that night submitted written statements.
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PC Nathan Mills said he saw her touching the officer’s hand.
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PC Megan Smith, who eventually bundled Canning into a taxi home, recalled her behaving “oddly” all evening.
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PS Ryan Lyth also provided evidence supporting what happened.
The panel found each of their statements consistent and credible.
Canning’s Explanation — and the Panel’s View
Canning claimed that alcohol had clouded both her judgment and her memory, calling some witness accounts “inconsistent.”
She maintained that she had no reason to doubt the male officer’s honesty and admitted the behaviour sounded completely out of character for her.
In her written apology, she accepted responsibility and said she had been remorseful from the beginning.
Nevertheless, the panel ruled that the allegations—attempting to kiss the officer, grabbing his neck, pulling him toward her, and touching his upper thigh or groin—were serious enough to amount to gross misconduct.
Why the Penalty Was So Severe
Assistant Chief Officer Sarah Jackson, who chaired the hearing, said the conduct represented multiple breaches of professional standards and risked damaging public trust.
Even though Canning resigned before the outcome, the panel concluded she would have been dismissed had she still been serving.
That decision automatically placed her on the police barred list, closing off any future policing career.
A Wider Problem Within Trainee Ranks
Canning’s case isn’t the only troubling incident involving new recruits this year.
The decision comes just as another trainee officer, Maryam Ilyas, was banned for life after leaking confidential police information to her drug-dealer boyfriend.
Investigators discovered she had accessed police databases three times to search for details about him.
Messages retrieved after the man’s arrest—including photos of cash and conversations about drugs—revealed the pair had a long-running relationship that she failed to declare during vetting.
Despite initially denying wrongdoing publicly, Ilyas ultimately admitted the allegations.
Her conduct, the panel ruled, was “repeated, sustained, and intentional.”
What All This Means Moving Forward
These back-to-back cases highlight growing concerns about professionalism and vetting among new recruits, especially as forces continue to push for rapid hiring.
Both misconduct panels emphasized that even trainee officers are held to full police standards from day one—standards that, when broken, can end careers before they begin.
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