Officer Based at Acton Police Station Guilty of Gross Misconduct
Had sex with vulnerable women who went to report a crime
Acton Police Station. Picture: N Chadwick
September 11, 2025
A misconduct panel has ruled that an officer formerly based at Acton Station would have been dismissed without notice after pursuing a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman he met while on duty. The panel found PC James Gage’s actions amounted to gross misconduct, citing an abuse of trust and behaviour that undermined public confidence in policing.
The hearing, which was chaired by Commander Andy Britain with two independent panel members, concluded on 27 August that Gage’s behaviour represented a serious breach of professional standards. Gage, who left the force in March 2025 under separate Regulation 13 proceedings, did not attend the hearing and was not represented.
The case centred on Gage’s contact with a woman referred to as Ms A, who was 23 years old when she first met him at Acton Police Station in October 2020. Although Gage claimed she had visited the station to ask questions about a potential job, the panel found it more likely that she had gone there to report a fraud, consistent with her history of reporting crimes to the police.
Ms A had long-standing and well-documented mental health conditions, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The panel accepted that she was clearly vulnerable, something Gage either knew or ought to have known at the time. Despite this, he obtained her Instagram details during their first meeting and kept in contact with her. Within weeks, he arranged a weekend away, booking an apartment which he initially claimed would be shared with his fiancée. The panel found this explanation untruthful, not least because he did not in fact have a fiancée.
During that trip Ms A later said that Gage attempted to initiate sex with her, which she declined, although she subsequently engaged in consensual sex with Gage’s friend who was also present. Several months later, in March 2021, Gage visited Ms A at her home address, where the two had sexual intercourse. Ms A stated that she had been very drunk and mentally unwell and described being too tired to resist his advances. Gage admitted to having sex with her but insisted that it had been consensual.
A rape allegation was investigated but the Crown Prosecution Service decided in October 2022 not to bring charges after the allegation was withdrawn. By that stage Ms A had again been detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act, and her condition had worsened considerably.
In its findings, the panel concluded that it was more likely than not that Gage had been fully aware of Ms A’s vulnerability and mental health problems. Evidence of this included messages exchanged with a friend in which he referred to her “MH” — interpreted as “mental health” — and called her the “crazy one.”
The panel rejected Gage’s explanations, finding them inconsistent and not credible. For example, his account of the October 2020 trip was contradicted by evidence about his accommodation booking and by testimony from his then-girlfriend, undermining his reliability as a witness.
Having considered the evidence, the panel ruled that Gage’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct. It found that he had abused his position of trust for a sexual purpose, targeted an individual who was highly vulnerable due to her mental illness, and engaged in behaviour that was bound to undermine public confidence in policing.
Although Gage had already left the Metropolitan Police in March 2025, the panel concluded that if he had still been serving he would have been dismissed without notice. This means that his name will be referred for inclusion on the College of Policing’s barred list, preventing him from working in policing or other law enforcement roles in the future.
In assessing the seriousness of the case, the panel identified a number of aggravating features. Ms A was described as a highly vulnerable individual whose mental health was further affected by Gage’s conduct. His behaviour was found to have been deliberate, premeditated and sustained over several months. The panel also noted that Gage had shown no remorse, made no apology, and displayed no insight into his actions. It concluded that his conduct had caused significant reputational harm to the police service.
The only mitigating factor considered was his admission to some of the underlying facts, though this carried little weight in light of the seriousness of the breaches.
In reaching its decision, the panel emphasised that maintaining public confidence in the police required a clear and decisive outcome. It stated that officers must not use their professional position to pursue sexual or improper relationships with members of the public, particularly when those individuals are vulnerable.
The panel therefore ruled that disciplinary action was necessary and ordered the publication of its findings.
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