A TOP cop has been found guilty of making a vile comment about the widow of a hero police officer dragged to his death while on duty.
Ex-head of the Police Federation John Apter said he would like to “comfort” PC Andrew Harper’s wife Lissie in “my hotel room”.
The cop made the “sickening” and “sexually suggestive” remark as the widow was due to collect a posthumous award on behalf of the fallen officer.
Apter was today found guilty of gross misconduct by a tribunal but was cleared of touching a woman’s bottom and making a sexual remark to a pregnant member of staff.
He’s waiting to discover his punishment.
The tribunal in Southampton heard Apter made the hotel comment during a staff “huddle” before the ceremony in January 2020.
His colleagues were left feeling “awkward” by the remark, which the panel heard was “sexual in nature”.
PC Harper had been responding to a bike theft by three teens in Berkshire in August 2019 when he was dragged to his death.
He had married Lissie just four weeks before the tragedy.
His widow was made an MBE in 2022 for campaigning to strengthen a law in his memory, named Harper’s Law, giving mandatory life sentences to those who unlawfully kill an emergency worker on duty.
She later said it was “highly inappropriate” of Apter to make the sexual comment about her.
The panel was told Apter was suspended by the Police Federation in December 2021 following accusations over his conduct on four occasions that year.
He was also suspended from duty by Hampshire Constabulary.
Apter led the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents more than 130,000 officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector.
He was being investigated over two potential allegations of sexual assault but the criminal case was dropped.
Apter denied the allegations.
