British Transport Police (BTP) officer James Hill has been dismissed after sending messages and a picture of himself to a vulnerable woman he met while on duty. The misconduct hearing, held in London on September 17, found the allegations proven and ruled the breaches amounted to gross misconduct.
Incident at Newcastle hotel
PC Hill attended an incident at a hotel in Newcastle in the early hours of the morning on July 7, 2024, involving a woman who had potentially had her drink spiked. During that incident, he obtained the woman's personal phone number.
Later, PC Hill sent her several text messages from his work phone, followed by further messages, including a photo of himself in full uniform, from his personal device. Nearly a year later, on July 6, 2025, he sent her another message from his personal phone, after which the woman blocked his number.
Gross misconduct finding
The hearing was chaired by Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi, who found the allegations proven. The panel heard that PC Hill was alleged to have obtained personal contact details of a woman during his police duties and used them to initiate and pursue inappropriate personal communications with her for the purpose of developing an improper emotional relationship.
PC Hill did not attend the hearing. He was dismissed from the force without notice.
Chief Constable's statement
Chief Constable D'Orsi said: "PC Hill's conduct is wholly incompatible with the values of British Transport Police and the standards the public rightly expect from police officers. Women who come to the police for help must be able to trust that the officer who attends will use that contact only to protect and support them, never to pursue a personal or emotional relationship."
She added: "PC Hill abused his position and the trust placed in him by a vulnerable woman whom he met through his policing duties. Dismissal is the only outcome that maintains the high standards of the police service, protects the public and preserves public confidence. It sends a clear message that this behaviour is wholly unacceptable."
