A police officer accused of seeking a sexual relationship with a woman he met during a burglary investigation has appeared in court to face a charge of misconduct in a public office.
PC Matthew Peall, 45, is accused of abusing his role as a police officer to repeatedly contact the woman between October and December 2019.
Westminster magistrates court heard Peall met the woman – referred to in court by the initials LS – through his role with Kent Police.
Peall spoke to confirm his name, age, and home address in Dover at the court hearing on Thursday morning, but was not asked to enter a plea.
According to the charge, it is said Peall “while acting as a public officer, namely a police officer, misconducted himself by contacting LS on occasions when there was no policing purpose for him to do so and seeking by such contact to pursue a sexual or improper emotional relationship with LS.”
Peall, who is a serving officer, was freed on unconditional bail until a plea hearing at Southwark crown court on April 20.
The officer, based in Canterbury, was charged following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Announcing the charge, an IOPC spokesman said: “A Kent Police officer is due in court to face a charge of misconduct in a public office (MIPO) relating to an allegation he abused his position for a sexual purpose, following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
“Between October and December 2019, the officer is alleged to have pursued an inappropriate relationship with a witness during the course of an investigation in Canterbury.
“We began our investigation in February 2020 after we received a mandatory conduct referral from the force. In February 2021, we completed our investigation and sent our final report and a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charge.”
