A businessman was wrongly arrested in front of his seven year old son and thrown in a cell after a police officer posed as him and made a 'threatening' prank call to his colleague, a misconduct hearing has been told.

Private security boss Benji Churchill spent almost two hours in a cell after PC Benjamin Magee's trick call went wrong, the panel heard.

PC Magee pretended to be Mr Churchill and made a call to another constable - who previously had 'dealings' with the businessman.

During the hoax call, PC Magee called his fellow officer 'a prick' and asked 'do you have a problem with me?'.

It was heard the officer who took the call took it seriously and reported it to senior officers, leading to him changing his number and Mr Churchill's arrest at his home on the Isle of Wight.

Mr Churchill, 35, was then locked up in a cell for one hour and 40 minutes - before PC Magee arrived and explained the misunderstanding.

Now, PC Magee, based at Newport Police Station, has been hauled before a Hampshire Constabulary misconduct hearing.

PC Magee accepts he made the call but argues that his colleague was informed it was a prank call before Mr Churchill was put in a cell and that other officers also knew the call was a prank but did not stop the arrest.

The officer who took the call was granted anonymity and was only identified as 'PC X' at the hearing at the force's headquarters in Eastleigh, Hants.

It was heard the prank call was made by PC Magee in the early hours of December 31, 2022 while he was on duty and Mr Churchill was arrested at 11.53am that morning.

Mr Churchill runs a private security consultancy, specialising in providing bouncers and training courses.

Barrister Alan Jenkins, representing Hampshire Constabulary, told the hearing: "In the phone call you pretended to be Mr Churchill, a member of the public and local business owner.

"During the call, which you intended as a prank, you called PC X a 'prick'.

"He believed Mr Churchill made the call and was concerned for his safety, he believed an offence was committed.

"Mr Churchill was arrested at his home address, in front of his young son, and released from custody an hour and 40 minutes later.

"It is alleged you breached the standards of behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct and duties and responsibilities."

PC Magee's lawyer, Fraser Coxhill, said the officer accepted he had made the call but not that there was a 'direct link' to Mr Churchill's arrest.

"The officer accepts the basic factual background, he made a phone call.

"But... in dispute... is that there was a direct link between the call and subsequent events.

"Those consequences would not have occurred without the misconduct of other officers," Mr Coxhill said.

It was claimed that three other colleagues witnessed the prank call, two were aware that morning that PC X was considering reporting the issue, and they tried to warn PC X and PC Magee but did not inform senior officers of the prank.

Temporary Sergeant Olivia Peachey told the panel: "I assumed PC X would have known it was prank call as him and PC Magee were good friends at the time. I did not hear him put on a different voice."

PC Georgia Blanchard said: "If I thought it was serious enough that Mr Churchill was in custody I would have told someone myself. I assumed it was a joke, that is what it sounded like."

The third officer who witnessed the call, PC Lisa Gray, said she did hear PC Magee put on a 'imitated' voice when making the call.

The three officers were also investigated by the Professional Standards Department and on Friday all three received an outcome of 'performance requires improvement'.

PC Magee has not been suspended but is on directed duties, a non-public facing role.

The hearing continues.