Disgraced West Yorkshire Police Officers Dismissed, Barred or Jailed in 2025
Several officers serving with West Yorkshire Police saw their careers end in disgrace this year after facing criminal charges or being found guilty of serious misconduct. The force has stressed that transparency and accountability are vital to maintaining public trust, and that the overwhelming majority of its officers uphold the high standards expected of them.
Below is a summary of the most notable cases of misconduct and criminal offending involving West Yorkshire Police personnel during 2025.
PC Ben Bottomley – Jailed for Rape
PC Ben Bottomley, a 23‑year‑old officer formerly based in Kirklees, was sentenced in June after being found guilty of raping a woman. The offences occurred before he joined the force and while he was a student officer. Bottomley received a four‑year prison sentence at Sheffield Crown Court. He was subsequently dismissed without notice and added to the Police Barred List, preventing any future employment in policing.
Sergeant Alexis Towers – Misconduct for Vulgar Comments
Sergeant Alexis Towers, previously stationed in Bradford, was the subject of a misconduct hearing after making crude and inappropriate remarks to colleagues that caused significant discomfort. Towers left West Yorkshire Police while under investigation. A panel concluded that his conduct, which included offensive comments about female colleagues, would have resulted in dismissal for gross misconduct had he still been serving.
PC David Mellor – Dismissed for Gross Misconduct
Leeds‑based PC David Mellor was dismissed from the force following a misconduct panel that found he made sexually inappropriate and unprofessional comments to a fellow officer. The force stated such behaviour breaches the standards expected of police personnel and undermines trust within the workplace. Mellor will also be added to the national barred list.
PC Mark Price – Drugs Possession and Dismissal
PC Mark Price, who served in Bradford, was fined £500 in relation to a controlled drug possession incident involving his police vehicle in 2021. Price was later dismissed for gross misconduct following a misconduct hearing after the conviction.
Sergeant Natalie Chandler – Assault and Misconduct
Sergeant Natalie Chandler was found to have sexually assaulted a colleague on a night out in Leeds and displayed inappropriate behaviour during the same incident. A misconduct panel ruled that Chandler would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had she not already resigned from the force.
Sergeant Andrew Haveron – Failed Drugs Test
Sgt Andrew Haveron, who previously worked in Bradford, failed a drugs test, testing positive for cocaine. A misconduct panel determined that he would have been dismissed from the force but had already resigned. He has since been barred from returning to policing.
PC Charlie Valente – Sexual Touching Conviction
Rookie officer Charlie Valente, aged 24, was convicted of three counts of sexual touching relating to incidents involving women in Leeds in November 2022. At Leeds Crown Court, Valente received a two‑year community order including unpaid work and rehabilitation programmes, and was ordered to pay £8,000 in costs. An accelerated misconduct hearing resulted in his dismissal without notice and placement on the Police Barred List.
PC Abdul Iqbal – Jailed for Driving and Justice Offences
Former PC Abdul Iqbal of Dewsbury pleaded guilty in February to multiple driving offences, including perverting the course of justice and driving while over the legal alcohol limit. He was sentenced to four months in jail.
PC Maryam Ilyas – Barred for Sharing Sensitive Information
Trainee officer PC Maryam Ilyas was banned from policing for life after abusing her access to police systems to pass sensitive information to her drug‑dealer partner. Ilyas, aged 20, searched classified police data and alerted her partner that he was under surveillance. She initially denied wrongdoing but was found to have committed gross misconduct and is now permanently barred from the profession.