Wiltshire Police is refusing to release details of the comments that saw one of its sergeants dismissed for gross misconduct, despite publishing full findings in several other recent disciplinary cases.
PS James Osment was dismissed without notice after he made “several inappropriate remarks” towards a female police constable he was supervising, leaving her feeling “harassed and targeted in the workplace”.
However, unlike a number of recent misconduct hearings, the force has declined to release the panel’s full written decision, meaning the precise nature of the remarks remains unknown.
The hearing took place at Devizes Police HQ between 22 June and 25 June 2026. According to the published outcome, the allegations related to comments made between May 2025 and November 2025 while Osment supervised the officer.
The allegations were proven and the panel found he had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity, and discreditable conduct.
It concluded the breaches amounted to gross misconduct and dismissed Osment, who worked the Royal Wootton Bassett patch, without notice.
Wiltshire Police published a brief misconduct outcome on its website on 29 June before removing it after one month, in line with its policy.
In correspondence with Wiltshire 999s, the force confirmed there is no requirement to publish the full written decision.
A spokesperson said: “The misconduct hearing outcome for Police Sergeant 2686 James Osment was published on the misconduct hearing outcome section of our website on Monday 29th June at 10am. As per our policy, these only stay active for one month.”
They added: “There is no legal obligation for the formal outcome document to be published. It is an additional step at the discretion of the misconduct hearing Chair.”
The decision not to release the full findings contrasts with several other recent misconduct cases.
Wiltshire Police published the full written outcome in the case of PC Jamie Lau, who faced accusations relating to sexual behaviour but was cleared of all allegations following a gross misconduct hearing.
The force has also released detailed information in the case of former PC Lauren Fairley, who had manipulated her keyboard on 12 occasions to make it appear she was actively working and recorded a meeting with a supervisor on her personal mobile phone.
They also published full written decisions in a number of other misconduct cases in recent years.
In contrast, the force has chosen not to release the full written decision in Osment’s case, leaving the public unable to see the evidence considered by the panel or the comments that led to the sergeant’s dismissal.
