A POLICE officer said he is “deeply ashamed” of a sexist comment he made to a female colleague in the past.

Dorset Police officer Sergeant Stephen Hughes admitted “unacceptable” behaviour after he asked a co-worker to make tea in a crude comment which referred to her breasts.

He said he had no explanation for making the comment while giving evidence at a misconduct hearing, after allegedly breaching standards of professional behaviour in his treatment of four female colleagues.

Speaking at the hearing, Sgt Hughes said: “Every time I hear it or think about it I am deeply ashamed of what I have done.

“There’s no explanation other than absolute stupidity and banter which went beyond the mark, it was totally unacceptable.”

Sgt Hughes accepted this but denied all other allegations made by the four officers.

He admitted he "could" have described one of the female officers as having “nothing between her ears” while speaking to his former inspector but says it was “a joke” between them, and would only have been in relation to an ear infection which caused her to be off work.

During proceedings at Dorset Police headquarters at Winfrith yesterday, Sgt Hughes said the loss of his brother to cystic fibrosis in 2014 had affected him “immensely.”

He said: “I’m not ashamed to say that as a result of issues and this hearing, I have had to seek help and that is ongoing.”

The misconduct hearing follows an investigation which found Sgt Hughes’ conduct may have breached four standards of professional behaviour between April 2014 to January 2016, when he was a sergeant based at Dorchester police station.

He is said to have behaved in a certain way towards the four female officers which demeaned them, made them feel stupid and embarrassed them.

Sgt Hughes maintains that he would “absolutely not” treat an officer in a derogatory way because they were female or work part time, adding that his management style is “clinical” with “attention to detail”, which might lead other officers to question their work.

Previously at the hearing, Sgt Hughes was described as “professional” and “popular” by his former inspector.

The hearing continues.