Two Surrey Police officers ignored call-outs to a burglary and a hospital to have sex in a squad car while on duty, a disciplinary panel has heard.
Sgt Molly Edwards and her lover PC Richard Paton’s affair was exposed after suspicious bosses bugged the vehicle.
An independent disciplinary panel was told that Paton, 39, was heard moaning ‘aww, let’s just get naked’, after an urgent 4.51am radio request for assistance at a burglary at an electrical store, The Sun reported.
The officers, both married with children, also ignored a 4.17am call to attend a hospital to deal with two victims of a serious assault outside a nightclub. At the time, they were parked up 15 minutes away having sex.
Both Edwards, believed to be in her late 30s, and Paton resigned from the Surrey force before last month’s tribunal, which went ahead in their absence.
The panel found four allegations of gross misconduct were proven and said both would have been sacked if still in the job.
Panel chair John Bassett’s report described the matter as ‘a serious dereliction of duty’ that ‘would be considered as outrageous’ by the public.
On the first count, the pair were alleged to have ‘engaged in sexual activity whilst on duty in a police vehicle in a public space’ between June and September 2019.
The second charge referred to them allegedly failing to attend calls-outs at Frimley Park Hospital and Currys in Woking.
Edwards and Paton were thirdly accused of misleading their boss over rumours of the affair and PC Paton was allegedly heard making a racist comment about an Asian colleague.
The panel heard secret recordings in the car captured ‘verbal expressions of sexual fantasies’ by the two officers based in the Surrey Heath area.
The report said their sexual activity ‘clearly involved the removal of some of their clothing, kissing,’ as well as the exposure of her breasts and him pleasuring her.
The two officers denied having full intercourse and Edwards insisted sexual activity only took place over two days while the car was bugged.
The panel concluded there was not enough evidence to prove the affair had been going on for three months as claimed, but ruled it started at least three weeks beforehand.
Edwards had claimed that they could not attend the hospital as they had dealt with the nightclub assaults earlier and there was a risk of evidence being contaminated. However, the panel ruled they did not want sex to be interrupted.
Surrey Police said both officers breached Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct, honesty and integrity.
