Former West Yorkshire Police officer charged with misconduct over 'inappropriate' relationship

Former PC Declan Middleton, who was assigned to the Bradford District Safeguarding Domestic Abuse Team, is due to appear at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. He has been charged with three counts of misconduct in public office after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Between May 2020 and October 2021, he is alleged to have started an inappropriate relationship with a woman he met and attempted to pursue relationships with two other women during the course of his duties with West Yorkshire Police.

The IOPC said: “We began our investigation in January 2021 following a referral from the force, who had been contacted by a woman making a complaint. In March 2022, we completed our investigation and sent our final report and a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charges.”