South Yorkshire Police officer had sexual relationship with stalking victim after she went to police for help

Police Constable Bradley Cross is believed to have formed the relationship with the victim of crime between five and six months before he left South Yorkshire Police, ahead of facing misconduct proceedings arising out of a separate matter.

Those proceedings related to allegations he retained “racist, derogatory and discriminatory” messages and images on his phone, with the force finding gross misconduct had been proven and he would have been sacked had he not resigned.

Mr Cross was a serving South Yorkshire Police officer at the time of both matters, each of which have resulted in separate findings of gross misconduct.

The allegations relating to his relationship with a crime victim were aired during a misconduct hearing held by South Yorkshire Police on December 9, 2025, heard by a panel of members including Chief Constable Lauren Poultney.

The findings, attributed to Chf Con Poultney, have now been published by the force.

They found Mr Cross had “formed an inappropriate sexual relationship” with the woman, a reported victim of domestic harassment and stalking, whom he met in the course of his police duties.

He was the OIC (officer in charge) into the investigation in which she was the potential victim.

Evidence supporting the allegations was downloaded from Mr Cross’ phone, in which it is said there is “incontrovertible evidence of the inappropriate and sexual relationship he had formed” with the woman between January 15, 2024 and January 31, 2024 - a matter of months after dealing with the investigation.

Mr Cross did not rebut the allegations, and gave “no account whatsoever” in the proceedings, despite being given “several opportunities to do so,” the findings state.

Chf Con Poultney concluded: “In my view, all of the evidence is clear and incontrovertible that the former officer and [the woman] had by January 2024 engaged in an inappropriate, sexual relationship, after he had investigated her case in late 2023.”

She continued: “By virtue of the relationship...he abused his position of trust and did not act with integrity, as required by the standards of professional behaviour.

“Sexual or improper relationships with victims, witnesses and suspects is always a serious risk to the integrity of the criminal justice process.”

“This is conduct that, if it were widely known, would undermine public confidence in the police service. Of course it would.

“The public demands that officers conduct themselves to a higher standard of behaviour; this behaviour, which lacks integrity and is an abuse of his position as a police officer, is fundamentally discreditable to the force.”

The panel found that the former officer breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of this allegation and that the breach amounted to gross misconduct. The outcome of the hearing was that the officer would have been dismissed without notice had he not resigned in May 2024.

The conduct involving the “racist, derogatory and discriminatory” messages and images retained by Mr Cross is said to have taken place between September 2023 and January 2024. The misconduct hearing in relation to that matter was held on May 30, 2024, at the conclusion of which Mr Cross’ gross misconduct was also proven in relation to that matter.

The panel in those proceedings also found that Mr Cross would have been dismissed without notice had he not resigned days earlier.

South Yorkshire Police’s guidance on misconduct hearings state that they should be heard by a panel of three people that should be chaired by an independent legally qualified person chosen from a pool held by the local policing body.

The other panel members should be an ‘officer of at least the rank of Superintendent and an independent lay person, selected from an approved list held by the local policing body’.