Gwent Police: David Broadway would have been fired if he hadn’t resigned

A top Gwent Police manager who faced allegations of sexual misconduct by female colleagues has been found guilty of gross misconduct.

A panel concluded that David Broadway, the former head of criminal justice, would have been fired if he had not resigned two weeks before the hearing.

Gwent Police Chief Pam Kelly praised the bravery of the victims and said there was “no place for unacceptable behaviour in the police force”.

BBC Wales has made repeated attempts to contact Mr Broadway, who has the right to appeal.

One of the women told the panel that her life had been “forever changed” by Mr. Broadway’s conduct.

Although Mr Broadway was not a police officer, as head of the Criminal Justice Department he was one of the force’s most senior civilian managers, earning around £80,000 a year.

A disciplinary committee ruled that allegations of sexual misconduct by three women were proven and amounted to gross misconduct.

Gwent Police said in a statement: “The chairman of the hearing concluded that the former employee would have been dismissed had he not resigned from his position prior to the hearing.”

Mr Broadway’s name will now be added to a College of Policing ‘blocked list’.

This includes police officers and employees who are dismissed or resign before a disciplinary hearing and who are subsequently prohibited from working for other police forces, police and crime commissioners or police supervisory or inspection bodies.

Gwent Police has been under intense scrutiny in recent years due to complaints about the conduct of its officers, and in March 2024 the IOPC announced that two current and one former officers would face a hearing for gross misconduct.

The woman who originally complained came forward after seeing David Broadway leading a staff conduct training session following the murder of Sarah Everard.

It was one of several seminars held by the police to deal with the loss of confidence in police work caused by the murder, as did others.

The woman said there was a hint of double standards because Mr. Broadway had sent her dozens of unwanted sexual messages over many months.

Nine months after she identified herself, another woman came forward and Mr Broadway was suspended with full pay.

Later, a third woman came forward.

In her statement to the disciplinary committee about the impact on her as a victim, the first woman said the stress caused by David Broadway’s behaviour was “unbearable”.

“I have still not recovered from the effects and consequences of his behaviour towards me and I still have to take medication.

“This harassment has traumatized me and I do not know if or when I will ever fully recover from this ordeal.”

“My life has been changed forever because of his behavior.”

Mr Broadway, 51, worked for Gwent Police for almost 30 years and was promoted to Head of Criminal Justice in 2018 – his responsibilities also included victim support services.

BBC Wales has learned that Gwent Police will conduct an independent review of Mr Broadway’s employment history with the force.

Police said the review would begin “in due course” after a period of appeal.

BBC Wales has repeatedly attempted to contact Mr Broadway for comment, but he has not responded.

Police Commissioner Kelly, who retires later this year, said: “We strongly oppose any unacceptable behaviour towards colleagues or members of the public.”

“I would like to thank the people who have spoken out. Their courage to express their opinions has enabled us to take this action.

“Both our communities and our employees deserve the highest standards from everyone in our organization.”

Ms Kelly added that “a significant amount of work” had been put into making staff feel able to raise their concerns and supporting them in doing so.