Ex-Cop Caught Sending Flirty Messages to Domestic Abuse Victim
Robert Hopper, 42, a former police constable, is at the centre of a gross misconduct scandal. He made inappropriate contact with a woman he met on duty — a vulnerable domestic abuse victim.
Sleazy Messages from Work Account and WhatsApp
Between September 2021 and January 2024, Hopper bombarded the woman with flirtatious emails from his work account. He also messaged her unprofessionally via WhatsApp on his personal phone. The pair met just once, strictly for policing matters at her home.
IOPC Investigates, Hopper Quits Before Getting the Chop
Dorset Police handed the case over to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in January. After scrutinising Hopper’s devices and interviewing him, the IOPC confirmed he faced gross misconduct allegations. Hopper quit the force in May, just before a disciplinary hearing.
Disciplinary Panel: He’d Have Been Sacked
At a hearing last Thursday, the Chief Constable ruled Hopper broke multiple Standards of Professional Behaviour, including abuse of authority, lack of respect, and discreditable conduct. Had he still been serving, he’d have been fired.
David Ford, IOPC Regional Director, said: “Cases like these risk destroying public trust in police. Officers are warned from day one: inappropriate contact with members of the public, especially vulnerable victims you deal with, is totally unacceptable.”
Hopper’s breach is even worse given he was assigned to the woman’s domestic abuse case. He is now officially barred from working in policing, sending a strong message that such misconduct won’t be tolerated.
