The former head of the Police Federation who has denied making a sexual comment about the widow of an officer killed in the line of duty told a disciplinary tribunal that he had only been “insistent” that she was given appropriate support.
John Apter is accused of three allegations of misconduct including saying that he would like to “comfort” Pc Andrew Harper’s widow Lissie Harper in his hotel room, shortly before she collected a posthumous award on behalf of her late husband.
Pc Harper, who worked for Thames Valley Police, was killed while responding to a bike theft by three teenagers in Berkshire in August 2019 just four weeks after getting married.
Mrs Harper was made an MBE in 2022 for her campaign to strengthen the law in his memory, which was known as Harper’s Law.
The hearing was told that Mr Apter, who retired as a Pc in 2022 after more than 30 years of service, had allegedly made the comment about Mrs Harper during a staff “huddle” at preparations for an awards ceremony during the annual Roads Policing Conference in January 2020.
Mr Apter told the hearing that prior to the event he had made contact with the chief constable of Thames Valley Police and the chairman of that force’s police federation, Craig O’Leary, to ensure that Mrs Harper would receive any support she would need at the event.
He said: “I was so concerned because it was so soon after, not only Andrew’s tragic death but the funeral. I knew they hadn’t been married for long, it was a very emotional time and I was very concerned that our attempt to do something positive could retraumatise, I was really worried.”
Mr Apter, who was elected chairman of the National Police Federation in August 2018, said that he had been reassured but spoke again about the support available for Mrs Harper during the “huddle” but denied saying anything sexual.
The 55-year-old said: “I remember I was really insistent that the support must be in place for Lissie and I was given that reassurance but I really persisted and I think at that point I did say that I had also spoken with the chief constable and Craig O’Leary, they knew it was a priority for me because I was really concerned.”
He continued: “I certainly didn’t say anything in a sexually inappropriate way, certainly not in a hotel room, absolutely not.
“I accept in the conversation I was really insistent about the support that was going to be in place.
“Lissie was on my table. It’s not inconceivable I would say I would look after her at the dinner table.”
Denying the allegation, Mr Apter added: “All of it is deeply upsetting, with Lissie Harper and all she had been through and my concerns for her, to have this allegation is deeply offensive.
“All the allegations are offensive but this one and the impact of such an allegation, not on me but on Lissie and her family I can only imagine it would have been horrific.
“But at no time in my mind did I say anything that could have been misinterpreted as something sexual.”
Mr Apter said that he kept in contact with Mrs Harper following the event and added: “Lissie contacted me directly, thanking me for what we had done and asking if we wanted to keep in contact.”
Describing their relationship, he continued: “Friendship was probably too strong, we didn’t socialise, I had a lot of respect for Lissie and her family.
“We met a few times, it was about giving my support and the organisation’s support for what became Harper’s Law.
“I was very proud to support her with that, we became professionally close, that is why it was been so hurtful because that closeness was severed when she was notified of the allegations against me.”
Mr Apter also denies an allegation that he made a sexual comment to a federation member of staff and an allegation that he touched a woman’s bottom.
He denied saying in 2019 to a pregnant Police Federation colleague “maybe you’ll get a bum now”.
He said: “Absolutely not. It would have been a deeply offensive and illogical comment for me to make.
“I wouldn’t have made it anyway but, with (her) being a member of the team, knowing what she had been through, it wouldn’t have been in my vocabulary to speak to a colleague like that, to say such a thing.”
Mr Apter also denies that he touched the bottom of a woman, referred to as Female A, at a restaurant while visiting London for the National Police Bravery Awards in December 2021 before asking her: “Is that OK?.”
He said that his hand had “absolutely not” touched her bottom but he had scratched her upper back after he thought she had “itched” her back against the wall behind their bench seating.
He said: “It was done in a spur of the moment, ‘Do you want your back itching’ and it’s when I believe I said ‘Is that OK?’ but that is the only physical contact.”
Mr Apter accepted that he earlier put his hands on Female A’s waist as he “leant in” for a conversation but denied touching or rubbing her bottom.
He said: “It just would not be the sort of thing I would do, it’s unthinkable.”
Mr Apter also denied that he asked the complainant to sit on his lap or that he put his arm around her or that he asked to dance with her.
He said: “That simply didn’t happen, Female A came up behind and linked my arm, I was a bit taken aback by it, not in a negative way, probably because I wasn’t expecting it.”
