A police officer accused of failing a woman murdered by her stalker has resigned before a disciplinary hearing.<\/p>\n
Shana Grice, 19, reported ex-boyfriend Michael Lane five times before he slit her throat and tried to burn her body.<\/p>\n
Two Sussex Police officers were\u00a0due to face gross misconduct proceedings<\/a> over their involvement in Ms Grice’s case.<\/p>\n One, named only as PC Mills by the force, resigned before a hearing on 10 May. The other has already retired, the force said.<\/p>\n A third officer is to face internal misconduct proceedings, carried out in private.<\/p>\n The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: “Resigning from the force does not preclude officers from facing misconduct hearings.”<\/p>\n According to a notice on the Sussex Police website, PC Mills faces two allegations of conduct in breach of professional standards.<\/p>\n One relates to 9 July 2016 – just over a month before Ms Grice was killed – when Lane was given a caution for creeping into her room while she slept.<\/p>\n PC Mills is accused of failing to “adequately investigate allegations of harassment and stalking”.<\/p>\n He is further alleged to have failed to respond to a report of harassment and stalking made by Ms Grice just days later on July 12.<\/p>\n During Lane’s trial, the court heard no further action was taken after Ms Grice reported being followed in a car.<\/p>\n Between July 13 and 15, it is said PC Mills “failed to contact Ms Grice or update her regarding the reported incident”.<\/p>\n The hearings notice said: “These failures resulted in Ms Shana Grice not being treated as a victim of domestic abuse and there being a loss of confidence by the public in Sussex Police.”<\/p>\n In total, 14 officers were investigated by the IOPC. Its report has yet to be published.<\/p>\n No further action will be taken over five other officers investigated, while six force employees have been given “management advice and further training”.https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-england-sussex-48142125<\/a><\/p>\n Lane was jailed<\/a>\u00a0for a minimum of 25 years for Ms Grice’s murder.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Caution given<\/h2>\n
‘Not treated as victim’<\/h2>\n