Disgraced police inspector, 45, who sexually assaulted two colleagues at drunken Christmas party is banned from the job
- Inspector Lee Morgan, 45, admitted to two counts of sexual assault
- CCTV showed him grabbing a woman’s buttocks and, separately, leaning towards another woman and seemingly grabbing the lower part of her body
- Morgan said he was ‘remorseful’ and apologised to the victims
- But he also claimed the punishment for his offence ‘far, far outweighs the crime’
- He will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on December 12
A police inspector who sexually assaulted two colleagues at a drunken Christmas party has been barred from ever working as an officer again.
Lee Morgan, 45, was the most senior officer when he groped two women’s buttocks in front of other officers during a night out in Teesside last December.
It was claimed that Morgan – described as ‘heavily intoxicated’ at the time – had no recollection of harassing the women until confronted with CCTV footage seized from the Black Bull and Osbourne’s bars.
Recovered images from the pubs were said to have shown Morgan grabbing a woman’s buttocks.
Then, on a separate occasion, the hearing was told that he leaned towards another woman and seemingly grabbed the lower part of her body.
The control room inspector admitted two counts of sexual assault at Teesside Magistrates’ Court last month and will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on December 12.
Lee Morgan, 45, groped two women’s buttocks on a night out around Christmas last year
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Mark Webster, who chaired a disciplinary hearing in Stockton-on-Tees, said he was guilty of gross misconduct, and would have been dismissed if he had not resigned.
Mr Webster said: ‘It is unacceptable for officers who are responsible for enforcing the law to break the law themselves.’
Morgan has resigned from Cleveland Police after 23 years as an officer, having an untarnished career up until this point with a number of commendations for his work.
Neither victim, referred to as Witness A and Witness B to protect their identities, were willing to give evidence in court, the hearing was told.
It was also said that Morgan had dented the reputation of policing at a time when there is already national concern over failures to protect women and young girls from harm.
DCI John Bonner, who led the investigation into Morgan, said: ‘Policing has come under national scrutiny through high profile cases in which there has been a failure to protect women and girls from abuse and violence.
‘What message does it send to women and girls who aspire to follow policing as a profession and would parents encourage their daughters to join the police?
‘It is imperative policing makes it clear that misconduct of this nature is wholly unacceptable.’
Morgan resigned from Cleveland Police after 23 years, having an untarnished career until now
DCI Bonner claimed that he believed it was a ‘targeted’ offence given ‘he knew both were young and significantly junior in rank to him’.
As Morgan had spent 23 years on the force, DCI Bonner also said that he would have known about the impact of sexual offences on victims.
He added: ‘They should have been able to trust him to the ends of the earth, he should have acted as a role model.
‘He acted without a shred of integrity and sexually assaulted them in the presence of the public and junior colleagues.’
Although Morgan did not attend the hearing, his police representative read a statement in which he apologised for his behaviour.
It read: ‘I am very remorseful, I apologise whole-heartedly to the victims for any emotional impact on them.
‘I have made stupid mistakes through intoxication, mental health and bad decision-making, which often go hand-in-hand.’
Morgan also claimed that his punishment for the offence ‘far, far outweighs the crime’ and the statement was critical of the investigation and prosecution’s lack of consideration for his mental health.
He continued: ‘For 23 plus years I gave my all and yes I made a stupid stupid mistake but you have done your utmost to destroy me.
‘Cleveland Police was my life. Regardless of what I did you still had a duty of care towards me and my family which has been ignored.’
Mr Webster said Morgan was suggesting there had been an ‘over-zealous’ investigation, which the force’s Directorate of Standards and Ethics denied.
DCI Bonner added: ‘It is imperative that policing makes it clear that misconduct of this nature is wholly unacceptable.’
Chief Webster added: ‘He showed a serious lack of respect and courtesy. He was a supervisory officer at a social event in a public setting. They were his subordinates and his authority over them is still a factor. he should have been setting an example.
‘His behaviour discredits policing in general and Cleveland police in particular.
‘Members of the public will be greatly concerned to know a supervisory male officer sexually assaulted two people who were his subordinates.’
‘I impose disciplinary action and indicate he would have been dismissed had he remained with the force, as a consequence he will be placed on the College of Policing barred list.’
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