Former PC Alexander Kean was previously a hero when he rescued a man in treacherous conditions but has now been sacked without notice
An off-duty police officer – once branded a hero – knocked a man to the ground and repeatedly punched him in the head following a drunken confrontation in a Merseyside takeaway. Merseyside Police Constable Alexander Kean appeared before a gross misconduct hearing on September 13 where he faced allegations of breaching the force’s standards of professional behaviour following the late night assault earlier this year.
The former hero cop, who was previously commended for rescuing a man lying in East Lancashire Road with a broken leg, was dismissed without notice and will never be able to be an officer again after he was placed on the College of Policing barred list. The misconduct hearing, chaired by Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, heard that shortly after 2am on March 16 Kean entered Pizza Chef in St Helens.
After he ordered food, Mr A and Miss B then entered shortly after. Shortly after there was an interaction between the three people and Miss B struck the former officer who then retaliated. The officer then left the shop and walked down Baldwin Street. However, there was a further interaction and Mr A launched a kick at Kean.
READ MORE: Woman who stabbed man to death after he ‘followed her home’ has murder appeal dismissedREAD MORE: ‘Schools could not have foreseen’ teen killers would have plotted and murdered Brianna Ghey, inquest finds
The pair exchanged further words before Kean followed Mr A, dropped his pizza box and began running back towards him, pointing and shouting. The hearing heard he pushed Mr A, raised his fists and adopted a fighting stance and tried to punch him. Mr A walked away but as he did, Kean punched him to the floor before repeatedly striking him to the head.
Mr A managed to get on all fours but Kean stood over him and continued the barrage of punches. Footage played to the hearing showed he punched Mr A at least 26 times. During the attack Mr A did not retaliate. Kean later appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on July 8 and pleaded guilty to a section 39 assault. He was ordered to pay a £440 fine as well as additional court costs and a victim surcharge.
The hearing found Kean had breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct. Chief Constable Kennedy said: “Based on the evidence of the CCTV footage which I have viewed, I am satisfied that PC Kean has breached the standards of professional behaviour namely discreditable conduct.
“The communities of Merseyside should quite rightly be able to have trust and confidence that the officers and staff working for Merseyside Police not only uphold the law but also abide by the law. PC Kean has completely disregarded the standards expected both by the force and the communities of Merseyside by committing a criminal offence, namely a section 39 assault.”
She found the officer’s culpability was high and his actions will have a serious reputational risk to the police, undermining the trust and confidence the public have in the force. Merseyside’s most senior officer said it was an aggravating factor that PC Kean only stopped the attack when members of the public and other police officers intervened.
Chief Constable Kennedy said she accepted the officer had shown genuine remorse by pleading guilty to the offence during its criminal proceedings but said he had “ample opportunity to walk away but instead had to change his direction and make back towards Mr A to inflict the assault on him”.
The sickening assault marks a fall from grace for the now former officer after he was hailed a “credit to the force” following his actions back in 2013. The ECHO previously reported how the officer was driving back from a Peter Andre concert with his wife when he noticed a man lying in the snow on the East Lancashire Road’s central reservation.
Along with two members of the public he carried the injured man to the pavement before calling his colleagues. They then took it in turn to lie with the man, taking off their coats and using their body heat to keep him warm until an ambulance arrived. The former Chief Constable Jon Murphy said: “Their quick-thinking and selfless actions probably saved the man’s life.”
The ECHO has approached Merseyside Police for further comment.
