Friday brief: PC sacked for social messages to domestic abuse victim, granted anonymity due to mental health
In this week's post discover which causes the councillor who took a three-month holiday has donated her allowance to, and much more
The identity of a Northants Police officer sacked this week for messaging a domestic abuse victim, is being kept secret due to his mental health.
The un-named officer was kicked out of the force by Northants chief constable Ivan Balhatchet at the misconduct hearing held at force headquarters in Northampton on Monday.
A report published today gave the details of the incident, which happened in January last year.
The constable, who joined the force in 2023, visited the woman’s home to do a welfare check after a domestic incident with an ex partner. He told the woman that day he had split up with his girlfriend and shortly after he messaged her from his instagram account.
He told her she was ‘beautiful’ and ‘definitely someone he wanted to get to know better’. The woman blocked him and the force became aware of the incident in August last year.
The officer attended the hearing and admitted the allegations against him.
Chief constable Balhatchet took into consideration information given about the male officer’s mental health, and granted anonymity.
But did not view mental health problems as a reason why the officer had messaged the victim. The officer had been given training about abusing his position for sexual purposes, shortly after joining the force.
In the report the chief constable says:
“I have considered whether this case can properly be disposed of by way of a final written warning. In my view any suggestion that this case could result in a final written warning would be misplaced. This is very serious conduct.
“Police officers are charged to conduct themselves with integrity, respect, and not to undermine confidence by acting discreditably.
“Although the officer has taken some worthy steps to addressing his mental health issues, neither those steps, nor the fact of his mental illness, in my estimation amount to exceptional circumstances. It is raised on his behalf that the granting of anonymity can be indicative of exceptional circumstances. It was clear to me at the point at which that application was made that there were substantial mental health issues subsisting, and other issues regarding the identification of third parties that was not desirable.”
He was found to have breached standards relating to integrity, authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct. He was dismissed without notice.
This week a report of a misconduct hearing held at the end of last month was also published. Detective constable Gareth Carter, who had been a Northants officer for more than 20 years, was found to have committed gross misconduct while carrying out his duties.
The panel hearing heard Carter, who worked in the online child abuse investigation unit, used offensive, inappropriate and sexualised language in the office. Incidents included asking colleagues how many shots of semen they wanted in their tea and making a sexually offensive remarks to a female officer. On a visit to a home he told eleven year old victims who had indecent images on their phones that ‘old men will look at that video and want to touch you and come into your house.”
Carter resigned before the virtual hearing.
Other news from across Northants
North Northamptonshire Council’s Green Party leader has revealed the organisations her allowance has been donated to, after she took an extensive holiday without telling the public.
Cllr Emily Fedorowycz, who was re-elected as leader of the eight member Green Party group on NNC last May, has told NN Journal where her allowance for performing council duties will go.
After her three-month break from the authority was made public, Cllr Fedorowycz, who in 2024 made an unsuccessful attempt to become the MP for Kettering, said she would be giving all the money paid to her in allowances to good causes.
NNC councillors are eligible for a monthly allowance of £1,673 and as leader of the Greens, Cllr Fedorowycz also is entitled to an additional £372 for extra duties. Cllr Fedorwycz said after tax she was paid £4,147 by the local authority during her time away in South America.
She said she has given £1,000 to Love Kettering, £1000 to Kettering Cleaning Club, £750 Kettering Community Art Hub, £750 to the Shack food project and £647 to Kettering Food Bank.
She said:
“The council gave two options which was either to not accept my allowance, or to accept it and to do with it whatever I deemed fit - the former option would mean this money would just be absorbed back into the council budget, never to be seen again. The latter meant that local people could benefit, and that I still passionately think was the right thing to do.
“My deputy and colleagues covered me to have my holiday because I needed it. I’ve been working non-stop for Kettering for 5 years as a councillor and way beyond that even - I go to sleep and I dream of Kettering and our Kettering projects. I needed a bit of time to reset and I got exactly that. I’ve come back already working harder than ever and I’m loving it.’
By Sarah Ward
The vice chairman of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has been told to undertake civility and respect training, after the authority found his comments that “some women should have never left the kitchen” likely breached its Code of Conduct.
The Northants Women’s Empowerment Group (NWEG) submitted a formal standards complaint last month after criticising Cllr Peter York for “deeply offensive and sexist remarks” that he made at a council International Women’s Day event, held at the Northampton Guildhall.
Cllr York (Reform UK, Moulton) previously apologised for his comments at a full council meeting in March, saying he recognised that the words he used were “inappropriate and capable of causing offence”.
The interim chief executive, Martin Henry, also issued an apology at the time, saying that the remark does not reflect the values of the council and that WNC is “fully committed to equality, dignity and respect for all”.
The women’s group requested that the WNC monitoring officer investigate whether the vice chair’s comments breached the councillor Code of Conduct, in relation to treating others with respect and bringing the council into disrepute.
The initial assessment into the complaint, which has been seen by the LDRS, found that there was ‘likely’ to have been a breach of the Code that can be “adequately dealt with by remedial action”.
It added:
“The Deputy Monitoring Officer will contact the subject Member to arrange civility and respect training as well as to offer words of advice regarding respectful communication.
“In reaching this outcome, the Deputy Monitoring Officer has been mindful of the fact that an apology has been issued by the subject Member.
“An Independent Person has been consulted and agreed with the decision of the Deputy Monitoring Officer.”
The CEO of NWEG, Hannah Martin, has welcomed the decision that Cllr York will receive training, but added that their primary concerns with his position on the full council top table still remain unresolved.
She said the prospect of Cllr York becoming the chairman of the council at the next annual council meeting in May “is a matter of significant alarm for women across this county”.
“The role of the Chair is the civic head of West Northamptonshire; it is a position that requires the incumbent to embody the highest standards of respect and to represent all residents equally, regardless of gender,” she wrote in a letter addressed to the monitoring officer.
“We believe his elevation to this prestigious civic role would send a deeply damaging message to the community.”
The group has further questioned the WNC Reform UK administration if they believe Cllr York is the ‘appropriate’ person to serve as the next chair of the council.
Cllr York has been contacted for comment in response to the outcome of the standards complaint and whether he will be attending the training.
Reform UK leader of WNC, Mark Arnull, has also not responded at the time of writing to the LDRS’ queries on whether the Cllr York will take up the position of chairman for the next term.
By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
Nine year old cancer survivor Florence Bark has had a lung transplant.
Florence, from Corby, underwent a successful operation earlier this month and is now recovering in hospital.
The Corby youngster was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2022 aged six and had a stem cell transplant, which left her needing the organ transplant. The community raised £500,000 to help with her treatment.
Florence is a Pride of Britain winner and her family runs the children’s cancer charity Be More Fab.
Northants Police has arrested three men after an armed operation in Northampton this morning.
A flat above a shop in Boothville Green, Northampton was searched and two men in their 30s and another aged 26 were arrested on suspicion of being involved in class A drug supply.
Plans to cut a community funding pot managed by councillors and replace it with a grant scheme led by young people have been deferred, after complaints that it could make it harder for groups to access financial support.
North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) executive was due to discuss proposals to slash its current Ward Member Empowerment Fund and develop a new Youth Empowerment Grant Scheme in its place, at a meeting on Tuesday.
The ward member fund currently dedicates a funding pot of £136,000 – with each of NNC’s 68 councillors allocated £2,000 each every financial year – to use to sponsor community-based projects and local organisations.
Under its new plans, half of the money would be transferred to a new scheme focused on young people setting local priorities and influencing grant funding decisions. This new project would be overseen by the Youth Advisory Council.
The remaining £68k would still be accessible via the member empowerment fund in 2026/27 for a greatly reduced time period. Any groups applying for funding would have just three months (until August 2026) to submit their bids, despite previous years accepting funding applications up until March of each financial year.
The NNC report states there will be a saving of £68,000 on the current allocated spend after 2026/27, meaning the current amount of community funding would effectively be cut in half. Previous years have also seen a cut in the amount of ward member funding available across North Northants, as the size of the grant is dependent on the number of councillors, which recently dropped from 78 to 68.
Data from last year’s ward member funding allocations show that councillors were able to help direct over £80,000 to community projects in their area – though that only accounts for around 60 per cent of the total cash that was available.
A further breakdown shows that 79 applications were received over the 2025/26 year from 58 councillors. It added that seven wards missed out on utilising the funding.
Addressing the chamber at the outset of the executive meeting, NNC leader Cllr Martin Griffiths said that he had a number of people contact him about the proposals in the empowerment funding review.
He said:
“As always, my stance is that I listen to all members when we make decisions.
“We are taking this important report to corporate scrutiny on the 27 April for consideration before bringing it back to the executive for a final decision to be made on 12 May.”
By Nadia Lincoln
West Northants Council (WNC) has approved plans to lease out two properties, which will provide an extra 31 units of temporary accommodation for those in need.
The authority has said that it currently provides temporary accommodation for a little under 700 individuals or families who are suffering homelessness.
At a cabinet meeting last night (Wednesday, April 15), WNC approved plans to lease out two buildings, though the locations were not disclosed, at a total annual rent of £249k and expected maintenance costs of £93k.
Cllr John Slope, cabinet member for finance, said that around half of those in temporary accommodation in West Northants are currently housed in B&Bs or nightly lets, which the council has become reliant on, given the sharp rise in homeless households.
He said the private sector was “the most expensive way we can house people” and leaves the council with limited financial control. He added that the two proposed leases were a “direct, practical response” which would bring projected savings of around £150,000 every year.
The first property is a HMO-style premises made up of 25 one-bedroom flats, at a £184k rent per annum. Property two is made up of five two-bedroom flats and one three-bedroom flat, which will cost the council £65k each year in rent.
On completion of the lettings, it is proposed that the individuals or families in expensive nightly let accommodation will be relocated to reduce the financial burden of their current accommodation.
Labour group leader Cllr Sally Keeble raised concerns about the HMO-style property, which she said could carry a risk of damage from tenants, leading to large repair bills.
Officers said they were aware of the risks from property damage, but added that it was ultimately down to ensuring the management of the properties is ‘robust’. They told members that teams will be sent out to make sure people in the accommodation are being supported, as well as checking on repairs and maintenance.
The leases are for a minimum of ten years plus one day. The larger HMO unit has a break clause halfway through the period.
A standing authorisation was also granted so that any new temporary or supported accommodation leases that don’t exceed a ten-year period can be taken by council officers, provided costs are covered in budgets. WNC said this will make it easier to proceed with lease negotiations within challenging timescales.
The council told NN Journal that one block is in Daventry and another in Northampton and the owners’ agents approached the authority about the letting. This is the first time either owners has leased buildings to the authority.
The council also approved planning applications earlier this year for two new sites in Northampton offering more than 100 modular homes for temporary accommodation.
By Nadia Lincoln
A ground breaking historical research project hoping to connect local families with their ancestors who were treated as children at the former Northampton Infirmary in the 1700s.
The University of Northampton has been working with international colleagues as part of the archive project.
Work so far has shown that children were routinely seen and treated at Northampton Infirmary as early as 1744 with 4,000 named children aged 13 and under recorded in the Infirmary’s records between 1744 and 1801. This is contrary to what many historians believed was done in local infirmaries.
Historical researchers at the university want to work with local families and genealogy research platform Findmypast with the hope of connecting modern descendants with the children who were treated between 1744 and 1801.
Part of the work done has involved digitalising the hospital’s historic records into a new database.
Fred O’Dell, Northampton General Hospital archive volunteer, says:
“The admission register relates information at a specific point in time. The very first inpatient was Thomasin Grace, a 13-year-old child, who in later life moved to London, married and died in her 70s.
“It would be wonderful to read the remaining life histories of more of these patients. We know this information must be out there, but we have to work in partnership with family historians, genealogists and the wider archival community.
“We know that this connection is possible as the idea for this project first came about when we received an email from a genealogist who was researching the family of Sarah Harris, the pioneering 12-year-old paediatric surgical patient who was treated at Northampton Infirmary between 1777 and 1778. The genealogist had asked if we had been able to identify Sarah’s grave as he had not been able to. Sadly, we were unable to locate this either.”
The project has been a joint venture between Professor Andrew N. Williams, of the University of Northampton, working closely with NGH’s Archive team and international collaborators such as Professor Madeleine Mant of the University of Toronto Mississauga.
Professor Williams and his team are taking the research further, working with Findmypast. They will begin this work at the Heritage Fair Northamptonshire 2026 at Wicksteed Park on Sunday, April 26 where visitors can learn more and contribute to the evolving historical puzzle.
The unitary councils have unveiled their new county-wide domestic abuse and sexual violence strategy, but concerns have been raised that the current system leaves many feeling “worse off”.
North Northants Council’s (NNC) place and environment scrutiny committee heard the proposed five-year strategy at a meeting on April 2. The joint project between the West and the North has set five priority areas in the aims of reducing domestic abuse and sexual violence and supporting victims/survivors.
These include early intervention and prevention, support and protection for all victims and survivors, trust and confidence, coordinated community response and partnership working, and holding perpetrators accountable.
This comes as the previous strategy for 2022-2025 has expired.
Sylvia Parkes, a North Northants resident, spoke on the strategy at the meeting as someone who has experienced domestic abuse and helps to support others in the same situation.
She said:
“On paper, it’s a positive start. Support isn’t just words in documents, support is how people are treated when they come forward.
“If leaving abuse is supposed to make someone safer, why are so many people feeling worse off after they’ve left? Too often, it feels like unless there was visible physical violence, the response isn’t the same.
“I’m currently supporting a woman who has fled domestic abuse with her young child. What she has experienced since leaving is deeply concerning – she has had to repeat her story multiple times, relive the traumatic experiences, navigate the complex systems on her own, all while dealing with panic attacks, anxiety and impact on her child.
“What I am seeing time and time again is people who showed incredible strength to leave abuse now being left to deal with everything themselves. Until that changes, we’re not just failing survivors, we’re discouraging the next person from ever coming forward.”
According to the report, across Northamptonshire 17,572 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes were recorded in the year ending March 2025. It added that Northampton records the highest number of reported incidents, with Kettering and Wellingborough following closely behind.
Lyn Buckingham, a former Labour councillor on NNC, asked the council to “focus on what happens beyond the point of crisis” and lived experience. She also raised concerns that she had spoken to a victim who said she would prefer to stay in an abusive situation rather than put her children through the “ongoing battle” with the council to access support.
“That should stop us in our tracks because if the system meant to help is seen as harder than the abuse itself, something is fundamentally wrong.”
“When people flee domestic abuse, they often do so with nothing. Yet, we place them into empty properties and expect them to rebuild immediately.
“A property without the basics, without immediate support, and without space for recovery, especially for children, is not a fresh start. It is instability in a different form.
“The real question is not simply whether accommodation is being provided, but whether it can generally be described as suitable in the context of trauma and disruption.”
The Domestic Abuse Act places responsibility on all tier one authorities to provide accommodation-based support to victims of domestic abuse and their children. The new strategy says it will set minimum standards for temporary accommodation and increase the number of refuge units across the county.
Kerry Purnell, assistant director of communities and leisure at NNC, said they acknowledged as a system that “we don’t always get it right all the time” and that listening to the voice of survivors is “absolutely crucial”.
She added:
“We want the county to be a place where abuse is neither tolerated nor hidden, where victims are believed and supported and perpetrators are challenged and prevented from causing further harm.
“The difference from this strategy and the previous strategy is more of a focus on that preventative element. We also recognise that the victim needs to have a seamless journey through the system.”
The strategy has set specific targets up until the plan ends in 2030 to ensure routine enquiries about domestic abuse and sexual violence are completed at 90 per cent of maternity, health, mental health, substance use and housing services, that there is an increase in evidence-led prosecution rate for perpetrators, and more victims report feeling ‘believed, supported and safe’.
The effect on children is also a key thread throughout the plan and further targets for 100 per cent of schools delivering healthy relationships / consent education and children in domestic abuse-affected households receiving needs assessments have also been set.
Progress on the objectives will be reported through quarterly performance reporting to the strategic board and a public-facing dashboard.
A joint statement from both councils said:
“In the creation of this strategy, we have undertaken a considerable amount of joint work alongside our partners, including Domestic Abuse service providers and victims.
“The final version of the strategy is still due to go through both council’s governance process and will be considered by North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive and West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet in Spring 2026.
“Both councils are incredibly aware of the importance of raising awareness of domestic and sexual abuse across communities, supporting victims and their families in a joined up and sensitive way whilst holding up those who perpetrate abuse to account.”
By Nadia Lincoln