A Cumbria police officer has been sacked without notice after pretending he updated victims of crime about their case.

PC 2713 Zac Hudson inputted false updates to victim care plans on a police intelligence system Red Sigma between dates June 14 2023 to June 15 2023, a misconduct hearing heard.

Mr Hudson gave the impression that the victims had been updated about their cases, when in fact they had not, and also lied to his supervisor about it when questioned.

The misconduct hearing, which the former officer did not attend, was led by Chief Constable Robert Carde and took place earlier this month. 

He said: "When PC Hudson was subsequently challenged about the false entries, he could have been truthful with his supervisors at the outset rather than waiting until he was faced with evidence to the contrary.

"During that conversation, he has demonstrated an awareness of the severity of the situation by making reference to an earlier misconduct hearing concerning another officer based on similar facts."

Mr Hudson claimed some mental health issues affected his decision-making at the time however the outcome of the hearing determined that information provided about this was limited and 'does not fully explain his dishonest actions over a period of time.'

The former PC accepted the allegations but did not admit that the conduct amounted to gross misconduct.

The former officer was found to have been dishonest on three occasions and such amounted to 'operational dishonesty'. Although no formal complaints were received, two victims did not receive the updates as recorded.

Chief Constable Robert Carde said: "Whilst there is no suggestion there was any actual harm caused, the risk of harm was all too obvious. PC Hudson could have reasonably foreseen the potential risk of harm particularly to damaging the public trust and confidence in the police even if not foreseeing a potential risk of harm."

In May of this year Mr Hudson was praised for saving a man's life after he was found hanging from a tree at an address in Barrow. 

He, alongside his two colleagues, were commended by the Chief Constable for their actions.

On September 1, 2022, the trio were able to take the man's weight before cutting him down, whereupon Mr Hudson immediately began CPR, including chest compressions.

The officers kept up their efforts until ambulance colleagues arrived and were able to take over.

Praising the work of the officers, Inspector Jim Bailey said at the time: "As police constables, the officers are expected to respond to all manner of difficult circumstances.

“However, finding yourself in a situation where you need to take swift action to save someone's life is extremely challenging and yet all three officers were able to demonstrate remarkable composure and professionalism throughout the incident.

"Without the swift actions of the officers at the scene, the man may have died or suffered life-altering injuries.

"Their actions are deserving of commendation and recognition."