A “PREDATORY” Gwent Police officer has been sacked for “targeting” and sexting women while he was on duty.

PC Robert Davies, 50, from Newport, was found to have sent sexually motivated flirty text messages from his work phone to three female members of the public.

The officer was fired for gross misconduct following a disciplinary hearing held at the former Gwent Police headquarters in Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran.

PC Davies told an alleged stalking victim she was “gorgeous and had a beautiful body” after meeting her when investigating her case, the panel was told.

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She claimed he had also asked her to stay with him at his house for the weekend.

He texted another woman with the message: “I was thinking of you being naughty with me, if that's OK.

“I need someone who is fun. You get some rest x.”

Jonathan Walters, representing Gwent Police, said: “The officer indulged in contact which went beyond the requirements of his role as a police officer.

“It is contended that in many respects the behaviour is akin to flirting and consistent with him seeking to pursue a sexual, or, at the very least, an emotional relationship with women.”

PC Davies denied any wrongdoing and said he was a Christian who adopted a “friendly and caring” approach to all people, in and out of work.

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The officer, who served Gwent Police for nearly 30 years, told the hearing he gave advice to the travelling community in Usk and attended bible meetings at their site.

His lawyer, David Sapiecha, said his client suffered from PTSD as a result of his work in frontline policing and was under “great stress” at the time.

The divorced father-of-three was in a relationship at the time of the allegations which were between January 2020 and May 2020.

Chair of the panel Callum Cowx said: “PC Davies did have a sexual motive and engaged in conduct that was inappropriate and unprofessional.

“He targeted single women who were either vulnerable or susceptible to exploitation.

“He gained the trust of the three women and he abused it.

“We found his conduct to be predatory.”

Mr Walters told the hearing: “The public will be concerned about the conduct of this officer as is Gwent Police.

“Dismissal is the appropriate outcome.”

Mr Sapiecha, mitigating, said: “He has been a dedicated professional who has been protecting his community from criminality and put himself at risk on their behalf.

“He has suffered mentally as a result of his service.”

PC Davies was dismissed without notice.

In a statement, Gwent Police Chief Constable Pam Kelly said: “The behaviour of PC Robert Davies does not meet the high standards we expect of all our officers and staff, and he is now facing the consequences for his unacceptable behaviour.

“While technology has brought huge benefits to policing and how we engage with our communities we expect our officers to show the same level of professionalism when using this type of communication as they do in every other aspect of their role.

“This case again shows that we are determined to continue to set out high expectations for our officers and take decisive action where those standards are not upheld.

"This behaviour will not be tolerated.

“We want our communities to be confident that we do investigate any reports of alleged misconduct and take appropriate action when we have the supporting evidence to act accordingly.”