TODAY is a dark hour for Gwent Police who had fired two officers who committed sex and domestic abuse offences.

The two former officers' misconduct hearings for separate offences took place this afternoon (October 11).

The first hearing was for Huw Orphan, 31, who broke his wife's back by kicking her down a set of stairs.

He resigned hours before the hearing, so the force had to decide whether they would have fired him if he was still an officer.

In a previous court trial, the jury found him guilty of causing grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm.

The two assaults took place against the victim on January 25, 2020, and April 7, 2020.

The judge granted him conditional bail until October 25, but former PC Orphan is facing jail time.

In today's hearing, it was heard that On January 25, he barged his way into his home and tackled his wife, resulting in her hitting her head.

On April 8, 2020, Huw Orphan committed the second assault, kicking his wife down a set of stairs, resulting in her breaking her back.

Gwent Police temporary assistant chief constable, Nick McLain said former PC Orphan has ‘undermined public trust in the police service.’

He held a position of trust and responsibility but breached that trust and abused his position as a police officer."

The hearing found the 'allegations proven' and that they amount to gross misconduct. 

Huw Orphan will be put on the College of Policing banned list, so he can never serve as officer again. 

The second former officer, PC Stringer, 42, was jailed for sexually abusing a young girl in Cardiff.

He was convicted following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court. 

The court heard he told the girl he was 'lonely and needed a girlfriend' before showing her pornographic videos. 

He encouraged the child under age 13 to mimic the behaviour in the video of a woman masturbating.

During the trial, Prosecutor Ian Wright added that the defendant had also touched the child, who was under the age of 13, sexually. 

Judge Daniel Williams refused an application for bail by the defendant’s barrister James Tucker. 

He remanded in Stringer in custody until his sentence which will take place October 28 and told him he will now have to register as a sex offender. 

In a recording of the victim’s police interview, shown to the jury at the start of the trial, she said:

He told me not to tell anyone or he would get into a lot of trouble.” 

It was heard in today’s hearing, which PC Stringer did not attend, that the paedophile has ‘not apologized’ and has shown an ‘absence of remorse.’ 

The former officer was fired for breaching the police's code of conduct and will be added to the College of Policing's band list.

The assistant chief constable said: “Our community deserve the best and I’m not prepared to accept this level of behavior.”

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In a statement, Gwent Police Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said:

I am appalled and disgusted at the horrific crimes that have been committed by these two officers and my thoughts go out to the victims in these cases.

 

“Officers take an oath to serve and protect their communities and these two have betrayed both the public and all of their colleagues at Gwent Police through their vile actions.

 

“Domestic abuse and child sexual offences are among the most serious that police officers investigate.

 

"I know this will have an impact on the trust of victims to report these extremely serious offences to us and I would like you to know that we are committed to bringing offenders to justice and safeguarding victims.

 

“There is no place in Gwent Police or our communities for perpetrators of abuse.”