Drink driving, lying and forging signatures are among the reasons Cleveland Police officers have been dismissed from the force in 2024.
Cops are held to high standards and when they fall short of what’s expected it can damage the confidence members of the public have in policing. Cleveland Police has seen six officers facing action from the force in 2024.
Following each case, senior officers from the force have made strong statements on why action was necessary. A superintendent said following one hearing: “Protecting people, protecting communities and putting victims at the heart of everything we do is of paramount importance to Cleveland Police. “
One of the officers sacked this year was Lee Justin Busby, who was also jailed after he gave his rapist step-son Daniel Summers ‘attack advice’. Summers asked what he should say to cops about ‘violence’ used against a woman and Busby, who was not told about the separate rape offence, “coached” the defendant on what to say about the assault, the court heard.
Busby, who served in the force for 25 years, lost his job and career after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Read the full story below:
Lee Busby
Lee Busby
Lee Justin Busby was banned from ever re-joining the police after giving his rapist step son ‘attack advice’.
The Wellhouse Road, Newton Aycliffe defendant was locked up for advice he gave to his step son over what he should say to cops about ‘violence’ used against a woman. Daniel Summers will spend the next decade behind bars for an attack, and also for the rape of a woman, after which he told her to “kill herself”.
Busby, 51 – who was not told about the separate rape offence – “coached” the defendant on what to say about the assault, the Middlesbrough court heard.
The Cleveland Police detective constable, who served in the force for 25 years, was subject to an accelerated gross misconduct hearing on January 30. There, Busby faced three allegations that his conduct breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct and honesty and integrity.
The outcome of the hearing determined that Busby would have been dismissed from the force with immediate effect, should he not already be serving a prison sentence. This outcome also ensures that he will never be able to be part of the police service again.
Detective Chief Inspector John Bonner from the force’s department of standards and ethics said: “Following DC Busby’s criminal conviction, the force took swift action to carry out this hearing and ensure that he cannot work within the police service again. The hearing found that DC Busby would have been immediately dismissed from the force, had he still been serving.
“Cleveland Police will continue to impose rigorous processes in relation to any individuals who fall short of the standards of professional behaviour.”
Robert Coffey
Cleveland Police officer Robert Coffey
A Cleveland Police officer who made a false and misleading report of an incident involving a woman who was later the victim of a domestic assault was barred from the police service in November.
In March 2019, PC Robert Coffey addressed a domestic incident while on patrol in Hartlepool town centre. Both the man and woman involved in the incident appeared to have suffered injuries and PC Coffey took the woman home.
The following day, the same woman was found with facial injuries after officers were called to her home address. The man she had been with the night before was arrested for assault.
An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found PC Coffey did not take the necessary steps to safeguard the woman who was assaulted. They also found his entry on the force computer system for the incident did not accurately reflect the situation and considered it to be misleading.
On conclusion of the investigation, The IOPC found PC Coffey had a case to answer for gross misconduct, andCleveland Policeagreed. A Gross Misconduct hearing concluded on Friday, November 22, 2024.
The hearing found former PC Robert Coffey guilty of Gross Misconduct. Coffey was dismissed form the force with immediate effect and will be barred from the police service.
The IOPC also referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided in May 2020 to charge PC Coffey with corrupt or improper exercise of police powers. He denied this and a trial went ahead in June 2023.
During the hearing, the CPS made the decision to withdraw the prosecution against PC Coffey. Following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings, Cleveland Police made arrangements for the misconduct hearing.
Detective Chief Inspector Pete Littlewood, Head of Cleveland Police’s Counter Corruption and Vetting Unit, said: “Robert Coffey’s failure to uphold the standards of professional behaviour rightly expected of police officers, led to a vulnerable victim coming to harm. Coffey not only let the force down, but he let down a vulnerable woman who needed our help and protection – and that is much worse.
“His lack of action, absence of any investigation, and the subsequent lies he told, rightly means he has been found guilty of gross misconduct, dismissed from Cleveland Police.
“People like Coffey are not welcome in Cleveland Police. We continue to have vigorous processes in place, both before officers and staff join the force, but also during their service, which mean we can root out any discreditable conduct and lack of standards in behaviour. Where we find these cases, we will always take robust action.”
Neal Murray
Former Cleveland Police officer Neal Murray, 47, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office after forging a victim’s statement and signature
(Image: Terry Blackburn)
A former Cleveland Police officer was hauled before the courts for creating a false witness account, and forging a victim’s signature.
Ex-officer Neal Murray narrowly avoided prison at Teesside Crown Court after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office. The court heard on October 28, 2020, the officer was dealing with a report of a minor incident in Hartlepool.
At the time, prosecutor Ian West said a woman reported that her daughter’s boyfriend had damaged her garden gate after a lovers’ quarrel. PC Murray attended the home a day later and took a statement as well as evidence photos.
Mr West said: “He told her they would be looking to arrest the daughter’s boyfriend and she would be provided with an update. However, on the 21st of November Mr Murray entered – on his police tablet – a false statement from [name of victim] saying that the daughter’s boyfriend had apologized to her, that she no longer wished to pursue the matter and a line should be drawn under the complaint.”
The court heard the statement was signed by the defendant who forged the woman’s signature and the woman claimed she had no further contact with Murray.
The court heard the defendant was investigated and interviewed under caution. He provided a prepared statement denying he had offended. Mr West said: “He effectively said the she had fabricated her account.” He was caught out by his device which showed at the time the statement and signature were entered he was at Hartlepool Police Station and not at the woman’s address.
In mitigation, the court heard the defendant pleaded guilty on the day of trial and is a hard-working family man. He now works as window cleaner and has two young children as well as a mother who is in ill health. The court heard the 47-year-old’s family rely on him and and he was under work stress at the time.
Judge Jonathan Carroll handed the defendant an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years requiring him to complete 280 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £1,600 costs.
Addressing Murray, Judge Caroll said the offence was “wholly inappropriate and rightly led to your sacking.”
Following sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector John Bonner, Head of Cleveland Police’s Counter Corruption and Vetting Unit, said: “Murray’s actions can only be described as completely and utterly wrong. Cleveland Police does not accept any behaviour which has a detrimental effect on our service to the public.
“I hope the robust action taken by the Counter Corruption Unit and the sentence imposed by the courts will provide reassurance that allegations of this nature are taken seriously and swift action will be taken to remove and bar officers from the service”.
His conviction will be referred to the Office of Police Crime Commissioner to consider if an application should be made to the Home Office to seek forfeiture of Murray’s Police Pension.
Rebecca Hetherington
A police officer caught drink-driving in Marske was barred from the profession following a misconduct hearing this year.
Former PC Rebecca Hetherington was found to be above the prescribed legal alcohol limit while driving a BMW 5 Series on Sunday, May 5, on Windy Hill Lane. A misconduct hearin g was held on November 14, which the former officer did not attend, having resigned the previous month.
Her actions were assessed by Chief Constable Mark Webster as amounting to gross misconduct. The hearing was told the PC Hetherington was off-duty when officers located her vehicle while she was “standing over the road”.
She handed over her keys to attending officers who believed she was intoxicated and they took a breath sample. The reading was 54ug per 100ml of breath – the legal limit being 35ug.
She was arrested and taken to Peterlee custody suite where she provided two further samples of breath. These read 45ug and 42ug of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
The officer first denied the charge at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on July 4 before changing her plea at the same court on September 5. She was convicted of driving while over the prescribed limit of alcohol and banned from driving for 12 months, fined £420 and ordered to pay costs of £200 and a victim surcharge of £168.
In his findings, Chief Constable Webster said: “Those actions significantly harm public trust and confidence. Driving over the prescribed limit of alcohol is extremely dangerous, and it is unacceptable for a serving officer to be convicted of a crime of this nature.
“This breach exceeds the threshold of purely unacceptable or improper behaviour and reaches the threshold of being so serious that it justifies dismissal. I find that the appropriate outcome in this case would have been dismissal had the officer not resigned.
“No other outcome than dismissal would be adequate to uphold public confidence in policing and maintain the high standards that I expect of officers of Cleveland Police. I am concerned to ensure that it is plain that criminal conduct by officers of Cleveland Police will not be tolerated, and to deter future misconduct by other officers. “I have also considered the need to prevent this officer from committing future misconduct. That can only be achieved by determining that dismissal would have been appropriate and placing her on the barred list.”
The hearing was told the former officer was experiencing a decline in her marriage at the time of the offence, and had a long and unblemished career of 24 years in the police. She was also remorseful and accepted she had let herself, her family and the force down, the hearing was told.
“I also accept that being a police officer was a job that she loved, and I have heard and read good things said about her,” said Chief Constable Webster. “Former PC Hetherington was clearly a good officer, having worked in many difference capacities within the police over a 24 year career.
“However, that does not excuse or mitigate her actions.”
Shaun Cox
An “unethical” Cleveland Police officer was sacked earlier this year after he lied on force systems leading to failures to safeguard a victim.
Former PC Shaun Cox was dismissed from Cleveland Police on September 26 after a panel found him guilty of gross misconduct. The misconduct relates to false information PC Cox entered into police systems in May 2023, which led to appropriate steps not being taken to safeguard a victim.
Superintendent John Miller, head of Cleveland Police’s Department of Standards and Ethics, said the officer’s behaviour was “unethical” and that he “ignored” the standards of professional behaviour.
He said: “Protecting people, protecting communities and putting victims at the heart of everything we do is of paramount importance to Cleveland Police.
“Safeguarding vulnerable victims is crucial, most importantly for that individual and making sure we protect them from further harm – but also to ensure we uphold trust and confidence in the service we provide.
“PC Cox chose to ignore the standards of professional behaviour and did not carry out basic tasks with integrity and honesty. His behaviour was unethical, and this is not something we tolerate here in Cleveland Police.
“We will continue to demand the very highest standards from each and every officer and member of staff within the force and take robust action when this is found not to be the case.”
Tracy Smurthwaite
An ex-Cleveland Police sergeant who directed junior staff to complete unlawful searches would have been sacked had she still been serving in the force, a misconduct hearing has heard.
Former sergeant Tracy Smurthwaite – previously known as Houldey – was subject to a gross misconduct hearing on Wednesday after breaching the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers. The hearing comes after Smurthwaite was convicted following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court of knowingly or recklessly obtaining personal without the consent of the data controller.
She was fined, and ordered to pay prosecution costs.
Detective Chief Inspector John Bonner, head of the Counter Corruption Unit at Cleveland Police, said: “On October 29th, 2021, former Officer, Tracy Smurthwaite (formerly Houldey), was the temporary Police Inspector undertaking the role of Force Incident Manager (FIM) in the control room.
“Cleveland Police was investigating concerns for the welfare of a member of the public, who was missing from home. Ms Smurthwaite had a personal connection to this person. The member of the public was located and safeguarded by Officers shortly after the reported concerns.
“Despite being safeguarded, Ms Smurthwaite directed junior staff to conduct searches on the ANPR system, enabling her to obtain information on the movements of the person during that evening. Colleagues were aware that checks of this nature were not for a lawful policing purpose and reported the concerns.
“Ms Smurthwaite was subject of a criminal and Gross Misconduct investigation by the Force’s Counter Corruption Unit. During the investigation the officer’s temporary promotion was removed, she was placed on restricted duties, removing her from operational duties and had no access to operational police systems.
“In July 2024, Ms Smurthwaite was found guilty at Newcastle Crown Court of breaching the Data Protection Act £700 fine, £500 prosecution costs, victim surcharge £70. Following conviction, the officers vetting was suspended and subsequently Ms Smurthwaite resigned from Cleveland Police prior to today’s hearing.
“This case demonstrates that our officers and staff will challenge and report poor performance and misconduct, and that Cleveland Police work continuously to ensure anyone found falling short of the acceptable standards of behaviour face necessary sanction. The force’s Counter Corruption Unit is determined the force maintains a robust and proactive professional standards approach, which rightly demands the highest integrity amongst its officers and staff.”
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