Met Police sergeant, 48, is found guilty of misconduct

Met Police sergeant, 48, who blamed his Mediterranean Greek background after kissing and pinching cheek of female junior could be sacked after being found guilty of misconduct

  • Met Police Sergeant George Panayi has been found guilty of misconduct 
  • He was accused of kissing and pinching the cheek of a female officer
  • She described his actions as ‘offensive’ and highlighted he was her superior
  • It was alleged that Sgt Panayi breached the standards of professional behaviour

A 48-year-old Met Police sergeant who blamed his Mediterranean Green background for his ‘entirely unprofessional’ behaviour when he kissed and pinched the cheek of a female junior could be sacked.

Sergeant George Panayi, part of the East Area Command Unit, has been found guilty of misconduct after he was accused of kissing and pinching the cheek of the female officer – without her consent – while on duty.

He was also accused of opening the door to a lavatory knowing the female officer was inside. Chairwoman of the police misconduct panel Eileen Herlihy said: ‘We find that all three allegations are proven as misconduct.’

She described his actions as ‘offensive’ and pointed out that he was ‘superior in rank’.

Sergeant George Panayi, part of the East Area Command Unit, has been found guilty of misconduct after he was accused of kissing and pinching the cheek of the female officer – without her consent – while on duty (file image) 

Regarding the kiss on the cheek, Ms Herlihy said: ‘We find the officer’s behaviour is entirely unprofessional.’

On Monday, the female officer told the hearing that she was sitting in the driver’s seat of a police van on December 21 2019 when Sgt Panayi approached and asked to see the log book.

She said he showed her photographs of women on his phone and told her: ‘I’m dating them because you are not available.’

After that, she said he grabbed her face ‘in a headlock’ with both hands and kissed her on the cheek.

She said he grabbed her in such a way that she ‘couldn’t move’.

The officer was asked by Julian Walters, counsel for the Met: ‘Had you consented to this?’ She replied: ‘Absolutely not.’

The woman said the incident was ‘offensive, demeaning, horrifying’, adding: ‘I was shocked. I did not know how to react.’

She said she was ‘like a fish out of water’ and was not sure what to do, adding: ‘It was unwanted. It was offensive.’

The woman told the hearing about the third allegation, said to have taken place on February 9 2020, in which she says Sgt Panayi opened the female lavatory door after she had gone in and before she had the chance to lock it.

‘He just laughed at me and walked off,’ she said. The officer said she reported the incidents because they were not one-offs.

‘This was becoming a pattern. My fear was that other things were going to happen,’ she said.

The officer said there had been ‘stigma’ after she made the allegations, adding that some officers were supportive while others were not.

It was alleged that Sgt Panayi breached the standards of professional behaviour in respect of authority, respect and courtesy.

The panel did not believe there was any sexual motivation behind Sgt Panayi’s behaviour.

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