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A West Midlands Police officer, PC Paul Littler, has been summarily dismissed from the force following a gross misconduct hearing, after he was found to have dragged a Muslim woman from a Birmingham HMO in a "state of undress" in November 2022. The disciplinary panel, led by an independent and legally qualified chair, found PC Littler breached multiple professional standards, including duties and responsibilities, authority, respect and courtesy, use of force, and discreditable conduct, Daily Dazzling Dawn understands.
The incident unfolded after police responded to a report of a landlord being barricaded inside a multi-occupancy property. Upon arrival, officers found the report to be inaccurate. Instead, they encountered a woman sitting in the hallway, refusing to leave. Despite the woman's protests, her attempt to show evidence of her right to stay, and her pleas that she was a hijab-wearing Muslim woman in a partial state of undress, PC Littler handcuffed her and forcibly removed her from the property. Body-worn video (BWV) footage, gathered by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), formed part of the evidence.
The woman was left on the driveway of the property without trousers on. The disciplinary panel heard that PC Littler disregarded the woman's protests, telling her: "I am the police, I can make up stuff as I go along, can't I", and: "I’ve read it, you are still getting dragged out."
Derrick Campbell, IOPC director, condemned PC Littler's actions, stating, "PC Littler was in a position of trust but he treated the woman with a lack of respect despite her being at a multi-occupancy property housing people with vulnerabilities." He added, "The panel agreed this was undignified and that the officer failed to respect her request for modesty. Allegations that dragging her in handcuffs was inappropriate and that PC Littler used language indicating he would abuse his power as a police officer, were also found proven."
PC Littler was already on a final written warning from a previous, unrelated incident, which contributed to the severity of the disciplinary outcome. His dismissal without notice means he will be added to the College of Policing barred list, preventing any future employment within the police force.
The IOPC investigation also considered whether the woman had been discriminated against, but concluded that the evidence did not indicate she had been treated less favourably because of her race. Furthermore, a case to answer for misconduct was found against another constable for their communication with the woman and their role in dragging her from the property. A misconduct meeting for this officer is yet to be arranged by the force.
