Police officer resigns after sending intimate photo

The Cleveland Police officer also made "disrespectful" and "derogatory" comments about the female student officer when he shared a photo of her "in a state of undress".

The man, known only as PC A, resigned from the force ahead of a disciplinary hearing in Hartlepool, Co Durham, on Monday.

The former officer had admitted two allegations in relation to his relationship with the young female officer, and two relating to breaching confidentiality in a murder case.

The hearing was told that in early 2020 he had taken a photo of a confidential briefing sheet, featuring a picture of a murder suspect, and sent it to his wife "for personal reasons, because they had been discussing the case".

He was later fined £400 at a magistrates' court after pleading guilty to a Data Protection Act offence, the panel heard.

Panel chairman Gary Sydenham found that the officer would have been sacked if he was still serving.

Stephen Morley, prosecuting, said PC A started a relationship with the student police officer when he was 38 and she was in her early 20s.

He told the panel they had exchanged messages and had sexual relations on just one occasion at her home.

Mr Morley said: "PC A sent a sexual image of the female officer to another man who was not a police officer, we assume he was a friend."

He said the "intimate photo" of PC X "showed her in a state of undress and sent without her knowledge".

The panel heard PC A also "made disrespectful comments" in the messages.

The panel heard that PC A had admitted the allegations and said he "was showing off to a friend of his about the sexual relationship he was in”.

PC A admitted four allegations in total; conducting a personal relationship with a junior officer; forwarding a personal image of a junior colleague, identifying them as a police officer and making crass, inappropriate and disrespectful comments; taking a photograph of confidential police information and sending it to a relative; and being convicted of committing a criminal offence.

Mr Morley added he had breached the trust of Cleveland Police and of the public.