Police officer sacked over pictures he took in the gym

A police officer has been sacked for taking covert pictures in a gym and sending members extreme unsolicited messages. The South Wales Police officer – whose name and rank are being kept secret by the force – set up an Instagram account under an alias and used it to bombard gymgoers with messages such as: "Can you s*** in my mouth?"

The officer's "predatory" behaviour took place in 2023 when he was a member of the gym in south Wales. He did not personally know the two members he targeted, who were called Mr A and Mr B in the police misconduct hearing.

The only reasons given by South Wales Police for his anonymity are "the embarrassing nature" of the case and how naming him could have an "adverse impact" on him and his family. 

In early 2023 Mr A began to receive explicit messages from an Instagram account under the name Laurence Hendix. One example was: "When you see the movement in your grey joggers makes mouth watering [sic]."

In August that year Mr B received messages from the same account. These included: "Can I suck your d***? How big is your d***? What about Only Fans? I want you to c** on my face. I love swollen it [sic]. Can you s*** in my mouth?"

On September 21 the officer took two photos of Mr A exercising at the gym without his knowledge and sent it to him using the Laurence Hendix alias.

The gym manager then reported to police that members and staff at the gym had been receiving unsolicited messages from the account. The decision notice does not go into detail about the messages sent to staff.

"The photographs were taken from the first floor balcony of the gym whilst Mr A was exercising on the ground floor," said the force's assistant chief constable Jenny Gilmer, who chaired the hearing.

"The CCTV for September 21 covering the interior of the gym was examined and [the officer] was observed to be leaning over the balcony with a mobile phone in his hand at about the time when it is believed that the photographs were taken."

The officer was then arrested on suspicion of sending malicious communications. WalesOnline has asked South Wales Police if the criminal investigation was pursued.

After his arrest the officer claimed he had no connection to the Instagram account. The panel found this was dishonest in light of evidence that linked his email address to the account.

The phone handed over by the officer on his arrest was likely not the one he used to take the pictures, the panel concluded, citing his "immediate confidence and cooperation with officers when he was arrested at his home address, and his phone seized, and the PIN willingly provided."

Ms Gilmer said the officer had engaged in "unwanted sexualised conduct which was predatory in nature" and disregarded privacy.

"The use of the Laurence Hendix Instagram account necessitated a degree of preparation and pre-planning and thoughtfulness," said Ms Gilmer.

"Although young in service [the officer] holds a position of trust as a police officer. As a police officer he would have recently received training and be aware of the standards expected of him in this capacity, and he disregarded this expectation."

The panel took into account "how warmly people speak of their interactions with this officer" and his "contribution in his short time in policing", finding he "no doubt has more to offer".

There was no evidence of "significant harm" to the gymgoers targeted but the panel also noted they had stated their discomfort over the messages and that they had taken action to investigate the source.

Dismissing the officer for gross misconduct, Ms Gilmer said: "There would be reputational harm to the force in allowing an officer to continue in his role having been found to have engaged in behaviour of this nature.

"We do not accept that most members of the public would have viewed the messages as being just a nuisance. In the judgement of the panel, they were highly sexualised and quite extreme in terms of the language used."

Ms Gilmer made an order that the officer would remain anonymous "following detailed submissions from those representing the officer". Pulse Media will be challenging this order, which is not the first made by the force to hide the name of a disgraced former officer.