Constable with 18 years in East Lancashire policing sacked after sexual assault accusations
PLUS: Council leader steps down ahead of local government reorganisation
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
This week we report on incidents in East Lancashire that have ultimately resulted in a police officer being sacked - and banned from serving again in future.
PC Dan Stoddard’s misconduct hearing took place early this week with Lancashire Lead reporter the sole journalist Jamie Lopez in attendance. A decision was published later in the week.
We’ve reported in-depth on the evidence heard as part of that misconduct hearing.
We also have the latest on uncertainty in Lancashire politics as a council leader has stepped down ahead of a redrawing of the county’s political map - and made a point to talk about how unique his area is when doing so.
Man ‘desperate’ to get back to policing sacked after misconduct hearing rules against him
By Jamie Lopez
A “joker” police constable who was ruled to have sexually assaulted a male colleague and mimed sex with a female PCSO as she lay down has been sacked.
PC Dan Stoddard categorically denied any wrongdoing with the male officer but a misconduct hearing in Ormskirk ruled against him.
The Lancashire Constabulary officer had been with the force for 18 years working in roles in neighbourhood policing and response in East Lancashire. He was on duty when both of the incidents took place at a police station, the hearing heard.
PC Stoddard was accused by the male officer, who can only be referred to as PC A, following an incident which took place in March 2023. According to PC A, PC Stoddard chose to squeeze between him and a bookcase rather than taking a clearer route after leaving an office.
He then grabbed his left buttock before moving his hand round to front and handling the colleagues “private parts”. PC A said the incident left him angry, upset and frozen in disbelief and has continued to trouble him ever since.
Giving evidence, PC Stoddard admitted that “with hindsight, I’ve taken the most direct route which was behind PC A but the easier route would have been to take a left” but categorically denied grabbing the fellow officer in any way. The panel, led by Assistant Chief Constable Karen Edwards, concluded that his actions amounted to gross misconduct.
During the course of the investigation into the alleged sexual assault, an earlier incident in which PC Stoddard climbed on top of a female PCSO and mimed having sex with her as she lay face down also came to light. That was dated to either 2017 or 2018 and Stoddard admitted ‘grinding his pelvis on her buttocks’ on a break room couch.
While he conceded the act was “unsolicited and unwanted” and offered tearful apologies, he denied there was any sexual element to what had happened and felt it should not be considered gross misconduct.
Opening the case on behalf of the police force, Alan Jenkins said the “purpose of these hearings is to protect public confidence in policing” and that members of the public would be disgusted to hear how PC Stoddard was alleged to have behaved.
Mr Jenkins said the officer was considered a “joker” and a “prankster” by various people within the force, including his own wife and a Chief Inspector, but had displayed a lack of self-control, respect and courtesy in his behaviour.
He continued: “It is accepted that police officers are human beings with a sense of humour but they should behave professionally. They are public servants. Police officers should be thinking “how would the public perceive my actions?’.
“I can’t believe he’s doing it again”
The alleged sexual assault was said to have taken place in March 2023 when both officers were based at Waterfoot Police Station in Rossendale. PC A had gone to collect keys from the office of his supervisor - Sgt Kirsty Stoddard - who is also PC Stoddard’s wife and he was also in there.
After leaving the office, PC A stood in a shared room while a few other officers worked on computers. Soon after, PC Stoddard walked past and squeezed through a small space between him and a bookcase.
Giving evidence, PC A said: “For some reason, rather than going through the front where there was more room, he went behind me. For some reason which is still unbeknownst to me, he grabbed my left buttock and then moved around to my private parts.”
The officer said he was left in shock and froze as PC Stoddard left the room without saying a word.
“I was upset. Later in the day, I felt angry. There was no reason for it to happen. It shouldn’t have happened but it did.”
Later in his shift, PC A decided to report the incident to Sgt Stoddard and claims she said “words to the effect of ‘I can’t believe he’s doing that again’”.
The following day, PC A decided to report the matter to PC Stoddard’s own supervisor, PC Johnson who advised him to make an official report to the Professional Standards Department (PSD), while Sgt Stoddard also said she had “hit him for you”.
He was later spoken to by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) but did not wish to make it a criminal matter as he didn’t want the details to become known to the general public.
Asked how the incident had affected him in the two years since, he said: “I’m still angry. It shouldn’t have happened to me, I was just doing my job that day like everyone else. It’s just been an awful two years for everyone, especially me”.
Appearing before the hearing, PC Stoddard repeated his denials when asked about this incident and said when it was first raised, he initially hadn’t even remembered passing by PC A that day.
Each time it was raised, he asked to speak with PC A but was told by superiors that they would speak to him. According to PC Stoddard, it was only when given paperwork by PSD that he became fully aware of the details of the allegation and where it was said to have taken place.
Giving his version of the incident, he said: “I don’t recall making any physical contact but based on the space available it isn’t inconceivable. There was no purposeful contact but if I did touch him it was a brush of the shoulders of something like that.”
Discussing the previous incident with PCSO B, PC Stoddard said it involved a close friend who was working a night shift and both were in the break room. After eating, he’d wanted to sit down but she lay across the couch.
Becoming emotional as he recalled events, he said: “It was a really stupid thing to do, I’m embarrassed to be here talking about it. She was lying face down and I can’t remember whether I verbalised that I wanted to sit down. As a bit of a laugh, I jumped on and I’ve grinded my pelvis on her buttocks.
“When I sit here saying it, it’s bad behaviour. It’s embarrassing behaviour to tell people about. It's not something I make a habit of doing, it’s not something I’ve done again. It’s a lack of judgement.”
The panel heard that there was no suggestion the PCSO was upset or offended by what happened and that she had not provided a statement.
“Desperate to get back to policing”
PC Stoddard has been on restricted duties for the past two years, which he described as mostly “boring” work assisting. He explained he joined the police after becoming tired of running pubs. In that job, he said, he saw police dealing with incidents both in and outside of establishments and realised that’s what he wanted to be doing instead.
He continued: “I’m at 18 years service and you do know officers who are very jaded and my opinion is if you don’t like the job then get out of the job. I am desperate to get back policing
“I’ve been sat behind a desk for two years. I see my colleagues go out to incidents and to do warrants and I’m left behind. It’s lonely and it’s not what I want.
“It’s a great job to do and there’s nothing else like it. I’ve made a massive mistake with PCSO B and I don’t want to jeopardise my career over that. I’ve let myself down and I’ve let the organisation down but I’d like the opportunity to show what I’ve got to give because I’ve still got a lot to give.”
It was alleged that PC Stoddard has committed breaches of the Standards of Professional Behaviour in the areas of Authority, Respect and Courtesy and Discreditable Conduct. The panel agreed with this and found his actions amounted to gross misconduct.
He has now been dismissed without notice and banned from any future policing role.
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Leader stands down ahead of abolition of council he has led for six years
By Robbie Macdonald
The Conservative leader of Ribble Valley Council is to step down from the position after six years and hopes to take on a new role.
Coun Stephen Atkinson announced his plan at the latest full meeting of Ribble Valley Council this week, which came as a surprise to some councillors. He will remain in the role until a new leader is chosen this spring.
His announcement comes at a time of change and also some uncertainty for Lancashire councils and local politics. Coun Atkinson has represented Ribble Valley Council in recent Lancashire devolution talks with other council leaders and politicians.
He was at the launch of the new Lancashire Combined County Authority in February, where he has observer status as a district council leaders’ representative along with Chorley Council leader Alistair Bradley. But voting powers for the new combined authority rest only with the leaders of three councils – Blackpool, Blackburn and Lancashire County Council.
Stephen Atkinson and many Ribble Valley councillors are opposed to the potential scrapping of smaller Lancashire district councils under government aims to reform English councils and create new, bigger unitary authorities serving populations of 500,000.
At this week’s borough meeting, Ribble Valley Council re-stated its opposition to local council reorganisation. However, if the government insists on changes, its preference is for Ribble Valley to merge with Preston and Lancaster. But nothing has been decided yet. The government has asked councils for feedback.
Speaking at this week’s council meeting Clitheroe, Coun Atkinson said: “This is my last full council meeting as council leader. I have been leader since 2019. I believe only one other leader has served for longer during the 50 years of this council.
“Hopefully, I will become the Ribble Valley deputy mayor with the council’s blessing this spring. It’s important tonight that I take the opportunity to thank all past and present councillors, officers and particularly members of the Conservative group. But special mention should go to Marshal Scott, the council’s chief executive, who is a man of hard work, integrity and duty.”
Coun Atkinson praised what he saw as Ribble Valley Council’s achievements and its decision-making process which uses a cross-party committee system rather than a smaller cabinet. He also compared the Ribble Valley with other Lancashire boroughs.
He said: “We remind ourselves of what this teamwork and the council’s much-treasured committee system has delivered. We have the same post-industrial legacy of east Lancashire as other areas, with Longridge, Clitheroe and many villages once reliant on cotton. Fourteen years ago, this was the sixth most prosperous district in Lancashire. Since then, the economy has blossomed and this is now the most prosperous district. We have the lowest unemployment rate, which is two-thirds less than Blackburn.”
He added: “Ribble Valley residents play by the rules. They get up for work, volunteer in the community and pay their council tax. We have the fourth-highest council tax collection rate in the country.
“Council policies have helped create this environment with the highest average salary being nearly 50 per cent higher than neighbouring Burnley. We also live the longest, averaging five years longer than Preston. And we have the lowest level of violent crime.
“This prosperity has delivered over 1,000 affordable homes, the lowest council tax and excellent services. The Ribble Valley is a brand where people aspire to be.”
He also recalled the challenges of the covid pandemic lock-down but said council workers, volunteers, residents and community hubs all played important roles in carrying out vital support. Millions of pounds in government grants had been paid to help local businesses, which he had played a role in securing.
Later, he took a swipe at climate change politics, net zero targets, UK energy costs, farming and industrial policies. He mentioned the closure of Scotland’s Grangemouth refinery and ethanol plans, and the Vauxhall plant closure in Luton. He added: “I hope Heildelberg cement can be sustainable with these high energy costs.”
A hat-tip to the Lancashire Telegraph who this week reported first that Blackburn with Darwen councillor Rana Gulistan Khan has unpaid council tax amounting to more than £6,000.
They did a job picking up on our exclusive last month that Pendle councillor Tom Ormerod had accrued an unpaid council tax bill of almost £4,000. Ormerod would ultimately resign.
That was the first of a number of Freedom of Information requests to return to The Lancashire Lead and this week we received the same response received by the Lancashire Telegraph which showed Khan’s debts as the sole Blackburn councillor in arrears.
Khan represents Bastwell and Daisyfield ward, was elected in May 2024 and sits as a member of the 4BwD as Labour’s main opposition on the council.
What he owes for each financial year:
£865.30 from 2016/17
£696.58 from 2018/19
£1,250.60 from 2019/20
£751.17 from 2021/22
£611.84 from 2022/23
£909.27 from 2023/24
Cllr Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, told the Lancashire Telegraph: “Residents will be rightly outraged that a councillor, who is making decisions on what they should pay in council tax and what they get for it is not bothering to pay it.
“They will be wondering why it is allowed to continue. He really ought to consider his position and whether he should resign.
“It’s up to the 4BwD group [if they will suspend him]; he is an embarrassment to them and I would be surprised if they were not similarly outraged.”
Khan told the Lancashire Telegraph that the money owed was due to a ‘mix up’ with sickness benefits and a protracted complaints procedure with the council.
Joe Anderson, the former mayor of Liverpool, is among 12 individuals who have been charged in connection with an investigation into council corruption.
The 67-year-old, initially arrested in December 2020, faces charges of bribery, misconduct in a public office, and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, as announced by Merseyside Police on Friday.
As part of Operation Aloft, two men from Lancashire have also been charged. They are;
Alex Croft, 29 years, of Bold Lane, Aughton, Lancashire, charged with one count of bribery
James Shalliker, 38 years of School Lane, Downholland, Lancashire, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery
Full report courtesy of Liam Thorp at the Liverpool Echo here.
Thank you for reading The Lancashire Lead this week.
We will be back with you on Wednesday and hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Luke, Ed, Jamie, Sophie and all the team.