A FORMER Hampshire and Isle of Wight police officer will face a panel hearing after multiple allegations of gross misconduct.

John Apter, the former chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, was suspended from his role in the federation and as a police officer at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary in 2021.

Now retired, he faces multiple claims of gross misconduct. For many years he was one of the best-known faces of Hampshire policing chairman the county branch of the federation.

Mr Apter allegedly touched the bottom of a woman over her clothing, without her consent in 2021.

In 2019, he made a sexually suggestive derogatory comment to a Federation staff member, he allegedly made a similar comment to colleagues about a member of the public in 2020.

It is alleged that these actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour with respect to “authority, respect and courtesy”, “equality and diversity” and “discreditable conduct”.

A spokesperson for the regional force said: “It is assessed that these matters individually and/or collectively, amount to gross misconduct, namely a breach of the Standards of Professional Behaviour that, if proven, is so serious that this officer’s dismissal would have been justified if he had still been serving.”

All three allegations will be heard at a misconduct hearing at Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s headquarters on September 24.