A former Greater Manchester Police chief superintendent who sent unsolicited nude photos to a junior female colleague has been placed on the barred list after a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of gross misconduct.
Rob Cousen, who was the commander of GMP's Tameside division, took early retirement hours before the hearing on Monday, which concluded he would have been sacked had he not left the force. The panel ruled his conduct was 'sexually motivated throughout' and that he pursued a 'sexual and inappropriate relationship' with the more junior officer over a 'long period of time'.
The hearing was told Cousen obtained the officer's personal phone number, sent her texts, flirted with her, and sought to meet her outside work hours between December 2021 and May 2022. He also offered her a temporary post at a higher rank despite her not asking for a promotion or being qualified. The former chief superintendent, who earned about £100,000 a year, sent the woman 'unsolicited photos' of his penis on his personal phone on more than two occasions.
An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation found Cousen guilty of gross misconduct, with the panel chair stating it was a 'clear case of gross misconduct'. IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said his actions 'were an abuse of his position' and 'exacerbated by his senior rank and level of responsibility'. She added: 'It is deeply frustrating that he chose to continue to deny the allegations for two years following our investigation, considerably delaying this outcome, only to admit what he had done at the last moment.'
Cousen has now been placed on the barred list, preventing him from working in policing again.
