Matthew Farmer

Introduction

Matthew Farmer is a former police constable with Avon and Somerset Police who joined the force in September 2024 and was based in Bristol. His policing career ended on Friday 11 September 2026, when he appeared at an accelerated misconduct hearing held at the force’s Police HQ and was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour by committing gross misconduct. He was dismissed without notice and placed on the national barred list, which will prevent him from working in policing and other law enforcement agencies again. The case that ended his career involved no pursuit, no arrest and no use of force. It began with a lie: after attending his former partner’s home off-duty without her knowledge, he told her he had been sent images of the property by an anonymous social media account — a claim the force said left her fearing for her safety and believing she had a stalker.

Background Information

Farmer joined Avon and Somerset Police in September 2024, meaning he had been with the force for around two years when the hearing took place, and he served while based in Bristol. The allegation against him was handled by the force’s Professional Standards Department, and the investigation that preceded the hearing was carried out by Avon and Somerset’s Counter-Corruption Unit after his former partner reported what had happened. The force determined the case through an accelerated misconduct hearing held at Police HQ rather than a standard misconduct process. Aside from the account published by the force, little biographical detail is on the public record: Farmer’s age, his life before joining, his prior disciplinary history and any personal statement from him were not included in the announcement of his dismissal.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated. The findings in this section come from a police misconduct panel — an accelerated misconduct hearing convened by Avon and Somerset Police — which found the allegations proven and issued its sanction. These are regulatory findings, not criminal convictions.

According to the case heard on 11 September 2026, Farmer attended his former partner’s house while off-duty and without her knowledge, and saw a van parked outside. He later told her that he had been sent images of the house and the van by an anonymous social media account. The force said the false claim caused his former partner to fear for her safety. Ch Insp Jo Hayward-Melen, of the Professional Standards Department, said: “PC Farmer’s former partner believed she may have a stalker and reported the incident”. She said PC Farmer “admitted the following day he’d made the incident up and had not been sent any photos”, and that “An investigation was subsequently launched by our Counter-Corruption Unit, resulting in today’s hearing”.

The hearing found the allegations proven and that Farmer’s conduct amounted to gross misconduct. In her statement after the hearing, Hayward-Melen was direct about the effect of the deception: “PC Farmer’s lies caused emotional and physical distress to his former partner. His actions are in no way compatible with his role as a police officer and will inevitably cause damage to the public’s trust and confidence in us.” The fabrication was treated not as a private dispute between former partners but as conduct incompatible with continued service, and the outcome reflected that: dismissal without notice and placement on the national barred list.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The public account of the case came from Avon and Somerset Police itself, which published the outcome on 11 September 2026 and framed it as evidence that the force acts quickly against officers who fall short. “We’ll always take swift and robust action to root out those who don’t belong in policing”, Hayward-Melen said. The consequences for Farmer were immediate and terminal for his employment: dismissal without notice and placement on the national barred list, a sanction that extends beyond Avon and Somerset and prevents barred individuals from working in policing and other law enforcement agencies. The force said the full hearing outcome would be added to the misconduct section of its website when available. No independent commentary from policing oversight bodies, staff associations or Farmer’s former partner was reported in the force’s announcement.

Current Status

Farmer is no longer a serving police officer. He was dismissed without notice following the hearing on 11 September 2026 and placed on the national barred list, meaning he cannot work in policing or in other law enforcement agencies. No criminal charge arising from the incident was announced in the force’s published account, and the case stands as a regulatory finding rather than a prosecution. The full written outcome of the hearing had not been published at the time of the announcement; the force said it would be added to the misconduct section of its website when available.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The impact on Farmer was the complete loss of the career he had begun only two years earlier. Dismissal without notice ended his employment with Avon and Somerset Police at a stroke, and the national barred list closed off any future in UK policing or other law enforcement work. The human cost of his conduct fell principally on his former partner, whom the force said suffered emotional and physical distress as a result of his lies, and on public confidence, which Hayward-Melen said his actions would “inevitably” damage. Beyond the force’s statement and the hearing outcome, no interviews, apologies or explanations from Farmer himself have been published.