A former police inspector fell from a 100ft-high motorway bridge months after quitting his force amid claims he sent ‘sexist’ WhatsApp messages ‘objectifying’ a female officer.

‘Hugely-respected’ Jonathan Ezard, 38, resigned from Greater Manchester Police last year ahead of a misconduct hearing.

The married father-of-two was alleged to have sent messages deemed by bosses to be 'misogynistic, degrading and disrespectful' – and also said to have shared images of the officer with an ex-colleague. 

One of his comments is said to have simply read: ‘Nice! She looks a million dollars on a night out, too.’

His family said the ‘misconduct allegation was unfairly characterised, pursued and decided upon’ and ‘utterly devastated him’, while colleagues said he had been ‘hounded’ by his ex-bosses.

A source said: ‘The comments came to light when another police officer from a different force was facing professional standards proceedings.

‘An officer's phone was seized, and this WhatsApp group came to light. That's when Mr Ezard's comments came to light.’

Mr Ezard was a ‘hugely respected’ officer, sources say. One said: ‘He was very well-liked. He was a great boss. People of all positions respected him.’

‘He got the job done and brought in results. What has happened to him is an absolute disgrace.

‘He has been hounded by GMP. Heads should roll. It's abhorrent.’

Mr Ezard, a married father-of-two, is understood to have launched an appeal, but a hearing was never held.

His family and former colleagues have spoken of their anger at force bosses over their handling of his case.

His loved ones said in a statement: ‘The circumstances in which Jon left the police service - a misconduct allegation that was unfairly characterised, pursued and decided upon - utterly devastated him, as did the fact that his appeal, which we expected to succeed, was never given a date to be heard.’

‘Our family is heartbroken and trying to process an unimaginable loss.

‘We hope that Jon will be remembered for the life he lived, for his dedication to serving others, the difference he made in his community and the love he gave to his family and friends.’

One former colleague said Mr Ezard fell 'foul of today's increasingly imbalanced misconduct and cut throat dismissal system', adding: ‘I'm angry that yet another colleague felt there was no other option available to him’.

Another ex-colleague insisted the messages at the centre of the misconduct proceedings were not misogynistic. 

Another said he was a 'dedicated police officer... admired by many of those he led.’

They added: ‘For the most part he served with pride, was the recipient of many awards and commendations, championed for his leadership.’

‘That a system and profession he gave everything to treated him with such hostility and contempt towards the end of his career, seeking to reduce the majority of his unblemished service, diligence and sacrifice to others, to a line on a barred list.’

The ex-officer took another job with Amazon after leaving the force but is understood to have been let go of during his probationary period.

He died on Tuesday March 31 in front of horrified colleagues who had tried to talk him down from the parapet of the 100ft (30-metre) high Barton Bridge on the M60 Manchester outer ring road.

The incident is not being treated as suspicious and an inquest is to be opened at a later date by the Bolton Coroner, who covers Salford.

At a misconduct hearing last Autumn, Mr Ezard accepted his conduct was 'sexist, objectifying, inappropriate and wrong', but denied it amounted to gross misconduct.

He was said to have 'actively sought out' photographs of the 'young female officer' from her social media account last January and sent them to another police officer from a different force who he knew.

GMP's chief resources officer Lee Rawlinson said the allegations - which he found amounted to gross misconduct - involved the sharing of images and messages on January 1 and 8, 2025.

Mr Ezard, said to have been an 'experienced officer of many years service and training' had his name added to the College of Policing's 'Barred List', preventing him from working in policing again.

Mr Ezard was a key part of an initiative called Operation Venture, launched in 2022, tackling violence and knife crime in Manchester.

He received a number of awards and commendations and was heavily involved in efforts to smash organised crime. In 2013, Mr Ezard took on a 75-mile trek across the Sahara Desert in seven days, raising almost £10,000 in memory of murdered PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes.

A statement from Mr Ezard's family read: ‘We are devastated to confirm the passing of our beloved Jon. Jon was first and foremost a devoted husband, a proud and loving father, a cherished son, a loyal brother and a friend to many.

‘Jon served his community with dedication during his time as a police inspector, a role he carried out with pride, purpose and a strong sense of duty.’

A GMP spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the death of former Inspector Jonathan Ezard.

‘We are offering our support to those officers and staff directly impacted. We will continue to support the coronial investigation to help his loved ones get the answers they deserve.’

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