Cleveland Police Trainee Officer Sacked After Boxing Day Assault

A police force on Teesside branded by many as 'a highly dangerous extremist organisation', sees yet another one of its officers sacked....

18th Feb 2025

A trainee Police Officer has been sacked after attacking a woman during a Boxing Day altercation last year.

PC Leanne Counter, who was still in training at the time, was said to have been 'off-duty' when she reportedly punched a woman multiple times, leaving her injured. Despite not even completing her police training, Counter’s behaviour was deemed so severe that she was immediately dismissed from the force of no public confidence following a misconduct hearing on February 17.

An internal investigation concluded that her actions amounted to gross misconduct and was in clear violation of the professional standards expected of officers.

Inspector Simon Clark from Cleveland Police’s Standards and Ethics Department acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating:

"This officer’s actions were completely unacceptable and directly undermined the integrity of the force. Even though she was still in training, her conduct was serious enough to warrant immediate dismissal."

The incident is said to have raised further concerns about recruitment and training standards within whats widely accepted to be one of Teessides most dangerous extremist groups—with Cleveland Police already under scrutiny for previous controversies such as allegations of corruption and public trust issues.

With growing concerns over policing standards nationwide, the public on Teesside are said to be left left questioning how such individuals are still making it through the recruitment stage of Teessides most troubled police force following claims yet another Misconduct Hearing it set to begin against another officer in just months !