John Apter: Ex-police chief ‘joked how he’d like to comfort widow of hero Police Constable in his hotel’

The former head of the police’s rank-and-file union made lewd comments about the grieving widow of PC Andrew Harper and groped a female colleague, a misconduct panel heard yesterday.

John Apter, who chaired the Police Federation between 2018 and 2021, is facing accusations that he repeatedly acted in a sexually inappropriate way towards women.

A misconduct panel was told he allegedly made sexualised comments about Lissie Harper, groped a female officer and made further suggestive comments.

Mrs Harper became a justice campaigner after her Thames Valley police officer husband, Andrew, 28, was dragged to his death in 2019 by a getaway car he had tried to stop. The couple had been married for just four weeks.

She was made an MBE last year for her work to get Harper’s Law onto the statute book – ensuring the killers of emergency workers on duty face mandatory life sentences.

Apter is accused of making the ‘sickening’ and ‘sexually suggestive’ comment while organising a visit from Mrs Harper in 2020 to collect a posthumous bravery award on behalf of her husband, just five months after his death, amid a discussion the event would be stressful for her.

It is alleged he told colleagues: ‘I’d like to comfort her in my hotel room.’ He was then heard adding, ‘I wouldn’t mind looking after her tonight.’ The panel was told that the comment was met with an ‘awkward’ reaction.

Apter is further accused of acting in a sexually inappropriate manner towards two women, including touching a much younger constable on her bottom while whispering: ‘Is that OK?’

Apter said he had not flirted with her and was simply ‘scratching her back’.

On another occasion, it is alleged, Apter said to a pregnant woman working at the Police Federation: ‘Maybe you’ll get a bum now.’

However, giving evidence, the woman concerned claimed she felt there had been a ‘witch hunt’ against Apter and she was ‘99.9 per cent certain’ the remark was made by another officer.

The three allegations relate to incidents in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Apter denies all three counts of gross misconduct.

Apter’s former force, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, brought misconduct proceedings against him after prosecutors dropped a criminal case involving two sexual assault allegations last year.

Barrister Cecily White, representing the force, claimed there was a ‘pattern’ to Apter’s behaviour, which was ‘sexist and derogatory’.

‘There are significant similarities between the allegations that different people have made from different perspectives, which show an unfortunate attitude towards women in the workplace,’ Ms White told the panel.

She added that Apter’s role as chairman of the Police Federation, representing 130,000 officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, ‘placed him in significant power and authority’.

The hearing was also told that Jamie Simpson, an outgoing communications officer for the Police Federation, had raised concerns about cultural issues within the organisation. He said there was ‘blatant hypocrisy among the principal officers’, adding: ‘On one hand, they preach to members about sexism and misogyny, yet some of the things I have overheard the same people say about women associated with the organisation, even the widow of an officer, is sickening.’

Apter was suspended as chairman of the Police Federation in 2021 after accusations about his behaviour.

The misconduct proceedings, which are expected to last for nine days, continue.