Lying police officer pretended her own mum had died to get time off work

09 September 2023 , 01:37

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Greater Manchester Police Force Headquarters (Image: MEN Media)

An ex-Greater Manchester Police officer pretended her mother had died to get time off work.

Melissa Hodson, who worked as a police constable in Bury, told her supervisors her mum had been taken ill and she needed time off for hospital visits. She later told colleagues her mother had died but Hodson's claims were complete fabrications and she has been banned from policing.

A GMP misconduct hearing on Thursday (September 7) revealed Hodson first told bosses about her supposedly-ill mother in May 2021. After saying her parent had died, she claimed her mum's house had been burgled in September of that year, reports the MEN.

An investigation from GMP's professional standards branch found that all of Hodson's statements were false. She admitted her actions amounted to gross misconduct in a letter submitted to the force, prior to the accelerated misconduct hearing.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson ruled Hodson would have been dismissed by GMP had she not already resigned, saying her 'conduct was morally reprehensible'. Hodson had been on restricted duties from February 2022 until her resignation last July.

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Chf Con Watson added: "She made a series of untrue statements to her supervision - culpability in this case is high, her actions were deliberate and persistent. Her actions bring the profession into disrepute and inevitably damage public confidence in policing.

"It also damages the trust colleagues have in each other - that trust has been irretrievably shattered." Hodson was added to the College of Policing Barred List following the hearing.

Stephen Topping