Detective convicted of sexual offences dismissed and banned from policing
Detective Sergeant Richard Mills has been dismissed from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and barred from policing after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault. The incidents occurred in 2016 and 2020, involving forceful sexual touching of co-workers. Mills was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The investigation began in 2016 and was reopened in 2023 after further complaints. GMP's Professional Standards Directorate gathered extensive evidence, leading to his conviction and dismissal.
Detective Sergeant Richard Mills has been permanently barred from policing after a misconduct hearing determined he sexually assaulted colleagues and violated the force’s ethical standards, Greater Manchester Police announced today.
The accelerated misconduct proceedings concluded hours after Mills began serving an 18-month prison sentence handed down in December for two counts of sexual assault. A jury found the former detective grabbed female officers’ hands and forced them to touch his genitals over his trousers during incidents in 2016 and 2020 while he worked in GMP’s Oldham District and Serious Crime Directorate at Nexus House.
The investigation that toppled Mills started in 2016 when a staff member reported his behaviour, though it gained momentum in March 2023 after he made sexually inappropriate comments within earshot of multiple colleagues. Professional Standards detectives subsequently interviewed 37 officers and staff who worked alongside Mills, gathering testimony that supported both the criminal conviction and numerous additional breaches of the force’s Code of Ethics.
Detective Superintendent David Jones condemned Mills for preying on women who “were simply just trying to do their jobs,” adding that the convicted officer “abused his position in the force and the trust of his colleagues for his own perverse gratification.” The force has offered specialist support to affected staff while ensuring Mills “will never work in law enforcement again” through his placement on the national barred list.
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