A former Avon and Somerset Police officer has barred from policing after gross misconduct allegations were proven against him.

Then PC Steven Marshall was accused of intimidating a female train passenger and occupying a first class seat without a ticket while he was travelling from London to Taunton in November 2021.

The allegations were proven at a misconduct hearing held at Police Headquarters in Portishead on Tuesday, June 13. Mr Marshall had already resigned from the police in advance of the hearing.

A panel led by an independent legally qualified chair heard how Mr Marshall produced his warrant card when the train manager approached him for failing to provide a ticket.

Mr Marshall then began to intimidate a female passenger, who later made a formal complaint.

Supt Mark Edgington, head of the Professional Standards Department, said: “This former officer was rude and disrespectful to both the train manager and his fellow passenger during this prolonged incident.

“Despite being off-duty at the time, he still needed to show the behaviours and values expected of him as a serving member of our police service, which he woefully failed to do on that evening.

“The misuse of his warrant card is a serious matter and that, along with his unpleasant and intimidating behaviour, means he’s wholly unsuitable to hold a role in policing or any other law enforcement agency.”

Mr Marshall joined the force in 2020 as a student officer, and was based in Bridgwater.