Former officer who intimidated fellow train passenger barred from policing

A former police officer who intimidated a fellow train passenger while off-duty and sat in a first-class carriage without a valid ticket, has been barred from policing.

Gross misconduct allegations against former officer, PC Steven Marshall, were proven at a misconduct hearing held at Police Headquarters today (Tuesday 13 June). The hearing was in front of a panel led by a Legally Qualified Chair (LQC), who is independent of policing. The panel decided Mr Marshall would have been dismissed if he hadn’t already resigned.

Mr Marshall, who joined as a student officer in 2020 and was based in Bridgwater, was on a train travelling between London and Taunton at the time of the incident on November 6, 2021.

The hearing heard how Mr Marshall sat in the first-class section of the train, despite not having a valid ticket. When approached by the train manager, he produced his warrant card to enable him to stay in the carriage.

He went onto speak and behave in a way which caused concern and intimidation to a fellow passenger, who was sat in the same carriage, resulting in her making a formal complaint.

Supt Mark Edgington, head of the Professional Standards Department, said: “This former officer was rude and disrespectful to both the train manager and his fellow passenger during this prolonged incident.

“Despite being off-duty at the time, he still needed to show the behaviours and values expected of him as a serving member of our police service, which he woefully failed to do on that evening.

“The misuse of his warrant card is a serious matter and that, along with his unpleasant and intimidating behaviour, means he’s wholly unsuitable to hold a role in policing or any other law enforcement agency.”