Title: Former Police Officer Censured for Neglecting Duty in Bloody Incident Near Gainsborough
Former police officer Gayle Newton has been criticised during a misconduct hearing for her failure to investigate a reported case of a severely wounded man. The inaction of Newton, who was at the time serving at Gainsborough Police Station, has been labelled as ‘unexplainable’ by the panel. Details unveiled at Lincolnshire Police headquarters exposed that Newton did not prioritise attending to the victim. The victim was discovered to have been stabbed in the incident on 3 April 2023. Whilst Newton is no longer a part of the police force, the panel arrived at a conclusion that her behaviour was grossly unprofessional and could have resulted in her dismissal.
On the incident’s day, Newton was approached by a concerned citizen at a Tesco superstore on Trinity Street, who reported a seriously injured man in the vicinity. Although Newton reassured the individual that she would deal with the matter, she neither notified her colleagues nor collected more information about the man. Newton’s response was limited to a brief and ineffective search before she unexpectedly drove off to Blyton.
After her return to the station, it came to light that Newton withheld information about the situation. Her defence, as represented by Detective Constable David Haddock, confirmed that her conduct fell short of police expectations. It was noted that Newton was unable to explain her unusual actions, a flaw that Haddock partly attributed to stress from workplace relationships and anxiety.
Emphasising the expectation for police officers to act swiftly during emergencies, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Davison, who led the panel, stated that Newton had failed to meet these standards. The victim eventually received medical treatment and made a full recovery despite no charges being filed about the stabbing incident.
This article is based on original reporting by www.bbc.com.
