Met officer sacked for stalking woman after relationship ends

A Metropolitan Police officer has been dismissed from the force after being found guilty of stalking a woman he met while on duty. PC Jonathan Simon received a 16-week suspended prison sentence in April for his actions, which were deemed to be gross misconduct. District judge Daniel Sternberg, who sentenced Simon at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, stated that the officer had brought the Met into disrepute.

PC Simon began dating the woman after meeting her in May 2021 while working for the force’s east area command. After she ended the relationship, Simon persisted in texting, calling, and visiting her, even doing so while on duty. He subsequently stalked her between October 2021 and July 2022, including showing up at her home and workplace unannounced. On one occasion, he used the false pretext that her window was unsecured.

Despite the woman expressing her desire to cease contact with Simon, he continued to reach out to her. Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, who signed the document from the misconduct hearing, stated: “The public could not have confidence in PC Simon after he has shown himself capable of behaving in such a way.”

Gray further emphasized that the public would lose faith in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) if they did not take the criminal conviction seriously, especially given the current public concern surrounding police officers perpetrating violence against women and girls.