A police officer who appeared on Channel 5’s Police Interceptors TV series allegedly went ‘dogging’ with a colleague after they sent each other sexually explicit messages whilst on duty.
Ben Sutcliffe, a police constable and former acting sergeant with Cleveland Police in the North East, appeared in two seasons of the hit Channel 5 show in 2017 and 2018, but left the force after being accused of sexual misconduct.
Sutcliffe is due to appear before an accelerated misconduct hearing next week where he will face the most serious accusation of having sex with a fellow police officer in public places ‘knowing and intending that there be a risk of being caught'.
He is also accused of lying to bosses when questioned about whether he was having a relationship with the female officer, who has not been named.
Listing the charges against him, Cleveland Police said he ‘sent and received a large number of sexually explicit texts and images to the officer whilst on duty’ and these ‘interfered with the proper performance of his duties'.
Sutcliffe is further accused of – without any lawful operational policing purpose – disclosing to the officer restricted operational police information, knowing such information was confidential.
And finally it is claimed he failed to challenge improper conduct on the part of the female officer, namely when she told him that she would lie to the Professional Standards Department and deny the relationship and when she sent him sexually explicit messages and photographs whilst on duty.
The force said the allegations ‘amount to breaches of the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to discreditable conduct’ and ‘have been assessed as gross misconduct if proved'.
Ben Sutcliffe, a former police constable and acting sergeant with Cleveland Police, is accused of having sex with a fellow officer in a public place
Sutcliffe appeared in two series of Police Interceptors in 2017 and 2018
Despite leaving the force, Sutcliffe could be placed on the College of Policing Barred List if found guilty of gross misconduct, meaning he could not return to law enforcement
Despite being listed as a former officer, Sutcliffe could be barred from policing if the allegations are proven.
Sutcliffe appeared in seasons 13 and 14 of Police Interceptors, a fly-on-the-wall documentary which follows officers responding to incidents and pursuing suspected offenders.
The seasons joined the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, a joint team responsible for roads policing, armed response and supporting response officers, across two years.
In season 13, episode six, Sutcliffe confronted a speeding boy racer, while a routine stop uncovered a young driver suspected of taking drugs.
In episode seven, he was shown chasing a runaway driver.
In his profile shown at the start of each episode of the show, the officer said he had been on the force for 11 years at that time and was an advanced driver, a public order instructor, an armed response constable and a tactical team medic.
The accelerated misconduct hearing is due to begin at 10am on October 21 in Stockton-on-Tees.