He was axed from the force for being 'a bit creepy,' but police mistakes gave him second chance
PC Mark Warren was axed from the force but was reinstated on appeal due to mistakes during his hearing
A Merseyside Police officer who was previously axed from the force for being "a bit creepy" was reinstated on appeal due to mistakes during his initial hearing process. Police Constable Mark Warren was sacked from the force and added to the barred list after he was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour for comments made in person and on social media.
But PC Warren successfully appealed the decision and had his case sent back to the force for a different hearing. A new panel heard the once-shamed PC had used language such as "finger blaster" and made reference to a fellow officer's tattoos. But the hearing found it more likely the female officer had misinterpreted the comments and determined the "creepy" allegations were unfounded.
A police spokesperson said: "We can confirm an officer has been reinstated following a successful appeal to the police appeals tribunal. The officer had been alleged to have engaged in inappropriate conduct towards colleagues, constituting breaches in relation to discreditable conduct and authority; respect and courtesy.
"He had been dismissed and placed on the barred list at a hearing in December 2024, but after appealing that decision has been reinstated and removed from the barred list."
A source told the ECHO the appeals tribunal "absolutely slammed" the first hearing panel after failing to hear certain witness evidence. The source said the second hearing "found no evidence to support an allegation of misconduct, let alone gross misconduct, and immediately removed his name from the barred list".
Our source claimed since being reinstated back into Merseyside Police, PC Warren had been "pensioned off" in an attempt to prevent further civil litigation against the force.
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Detective Chief Superintendent Sarbjit Kaur, head of the professional standards department, said: "We respect and accept the decision of the police appeals tribunal in this case."
It was alleged that while an officer stationed in the force's crime demand unit PC Warren made comments to an officer, referred to in the hearing as Miss A, considered inappropriate and made her feel uncomfortable.
It was claimed PC Warren had said to Miss A on more than one occasion "if I had sex with you, I'd be staring at your tattoos". He was also alleged to have made a Star Wars sexual reference and walked up behind her and made sex noises. During a Facebook messenger conversation in November 2022, he also messaged Miss A during a conversation about a vanilla slice and said his "fingers are all covered in custard and sticky".
It was claimed he had breached standards of professional behaviour by being "a bit creepy" and having the "propensity to bring the police service into disrepute".
The panel heard evidence from an officer called Ben Pollard, who recorded that Miss A had told him about PC Warren's comments about her tattoos. Miss A herself told the force's professional standards unit that: "I was never particularly bothered by things Mark said, but when he started to say things more personal...it was just a bit creepy."
When asked in oral evidence during the hearing, Miss A said she could not remember the context of the comments and had "in fact completely forgotten about it". But her recollection was PC Warren had said "something pretty close" to the allegation. She also did not say that he made the comments more than once.
PC Warren meanwhile denied making the comment, but accepted they had discussed the topic of tattoos. The panel was satisfied from the evidence available that PC Warren had made a comment along the lines of the allegation, but said it had to be satisfied that the exact words quoted were used "on more than one occasion". Because of this reason the allegation was ultimately not proved.
Regarding Star Wars sexual reference, Miss A said: "I do recall Mark saying this to me, I couldn't say with absolute certainty, but I think again it was to do with my dating. I just remember when he said it I burst out laughing, the context in which it was said was in a joke way. I was okay with the joke though I can appreciate not everybody would receive it well."
PC Warren denied the comment being used to describe a form of sexual activity and said instead he was referring to "the weapons used in Star Wars".
The panel said it was in no doubt PC Warren did make the comment, but found his explanation more plausible. In a report seen by the ECHO, the panel said "it [was] more likely than not that Miss A's recollection stemmed from a misinterpretation and/or misremembering".
It was also claimed that PC Warren would "make reference to Miss A's bald cat, referring to it [as] her 'bald pussy'. Her witness statement said: "I can't remember other specific things that were said, as I have said we used to have a laugh 80% of the time, but then 20% he would say things that were just aimed more personal at me."
During cross-examination during oral evidence Miss A conceded she could remember a specific instance where he made the comment. The panel said it was clear Miss A's cat was the subject of frequent joking, but the allegation was not proved.
The panel also determined that PC Warren had not made "sex noises" behind Miss A. Instead, the panel said, it was "more likely that Miss A had misinterpreted or misunderstood noises made by PC Warren and others in the course of a game". The game in question was said to have come from a TikTok trend.
Independent chair Jonathan Roy said: "The panel therefore made no finding that PC Warren had breached the standards of professional behaviour. There being no basis for a finding of gross misconduct or misconduct, these proceedings were therefore terminated."
