A police officer who asked a neighbour to have an affair with him has been barred from serving ever again.

A Hertfordshire Police misconduct panel, which met on April 19, found that former PC Gary Pugsley had committed an “abuse of position for sexual purposes” after he sent notes to two people.

The former constable told his neighbour, known as “Ms B” , that he was “not a weirdo” because he worked at Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Former PC Pugsley told the other, “Ms A”, he could be her “forever someone” before he accused her of antisocial behaviour in a complaint to his own force.

The Appropriate Authority, which presented evidence against the former officer, described this as a “bogus complaint”, something which a Police Federation representative on behalf of former PC Pugsley denied.

Barrister Alan Jenkins, representing the Appropriate Authority, said the then-officer had messaged Ms B online.

The former constable later dropped a note through his neighbour’s door, which she captured on her Ring doorbell camera.

Mr Jenkins said the note read: “I live across the road from you and find you really attractive.

“I would love to get to know you better.

“If you want to get to know me better, here is my phone number.”

Mr Jenkins added the former constable received a reply which read: “Hello Gary.

“I have just received your note.

“Just thought I would be courteous and let you know I am in a relationship.”

The former officer replied: “OK, honey. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Just a final note to say I am not a weirdo stalker,” he said in a further text, adding that she could message him back should she “feel the need for a bit of fun”.

After he revealed he was a police officer, Ms B replied: “Your behaviour is massively out of line. I am reporting you.”

Former PC Pugsley used a police system to search for Ms B, and officers must give a reason when using the system.

“He had given a spurious reason for the search,” Mr Jenkins said. “PC Pugsley said drug use at the address was the reason he was undertaking the search.”

The former officer claimed Ms A was “guilty of antisocial behaviour” and he “wanted her prosecuted”, according to the Appropriate Authority’s case.

He contacted a police community support officer (PCSO), urging them to review his complaint, and used a police system to search for the officers who spoke to him regarding it.

But the misconduct panel found he had no right to access that information because he was not investigating the case as a police officer and the investigation was dropped.

Panel chair Akbar Khan said: “The officer’s conduct clearly undermined confidence in policing and discredited the force.”

Mr Khan added that the former officer had used police systems “for his own personal gain” out of “his own choice”, according to the chair, who said: “This is a serious breach of public trust.”

He said the former officer had “deployed the fact that he was a police officer to provide [Ms A and Ms B] with assurances he was someone who could be trusted”.

Mr Khan said “the presence of informal admissions” related to computer searches and “the fact that he has apologised for his behaviour” are mitigating factors in former PC Pugsley’s case, and that the former officer was “of previous good character”.

The panel found he had breached the standards of professional behaviour headlined “honesty and integrity”, “authority, respect and courtesy” and “discreditable conduct”.

Panel members ruled that “only disciplinary action is appropriate in this case” and that his name should be added to the College of Policing’s “barred” list.