Who is former police sergeant Lee Cocking and what happened during his misconduct hearing?
A NEW Channel 4 series is set to show how the police look into cases against its own officers.
The three-part series, To Catch a Copper, goes behind-the-scenes to unearth shocking cases of corruption in Avon and Somerset Police.
Who is former police sergeant Lee Cocking?
In 2017, former police sergeant Lee Cocking was accused of having sex with a vulnerable woman while on duty.
The former sergeant, who spent 20 years working for the police, denied wrongdoing and told a Gloucester Crown Court jury that the woman had forced herself on him sexually as he drove her home.
The woman had been kicked out of the Skinny Dippers nightclub in Weston on December 23, 2017, and was causing trouble outside the building.
The trial heard how the officer offered the woman a lift home in the unmarked silver Vauxhall Astra police car – which she accepted.
However, following the offer, he said he felt “numb” and unable to call for help when she straddled him in his parked police vehicle.
Mr Cocking claimed he suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome resulting from earlier tragic incidents he had dealt with in his police career.
As a result, he claimed he was not psychologically able to resist the woman’s sexual advances.
He said the woman pulled down her jeans and knickers, unzipped his fly and then started ‘straddling’ him in the driving seat of the vehicle.
Mr Cocking said: “She shouted out to me to stop just before the old Toll road. I pulled up expecting her to just get out.
“But she leant towards me, with her head forward and her lips puckered as though she was leaning in to kiss me.
“I put my hand up to stop her. I told her that she couldn’t do that as I would get into trouble.
“I then noticed that she had pulled down her jeans and underwear to her thighs and she started saying she wanted sex with me.
“This came as a shock and my anxiety levels shot up.
“I felt scared as so many of my colleagues had their lives destroyed with similar allegations. I just wanted to get her home so I could get home myself.”
Mr Cocking said he continued driving but the woman’s demands became “louder and louder.”
He also told of how his mind was “racing” and he thought if he stopped “she would make a complaint.”
Mr Cocking, who retired from the force on medical grounds, was accused of breaching standards of professional behaviour for police officers in relation to honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct – which could have amounted to gross misconduct if proven.
He was cleared of criminal charges in 2021, however, Avon and Somerset Police made the decision to take him to a police misconduct hearing.
What happened during Lee Cocking’s misconduct hearing?
In August 2022, a misconduct hearing took place in which the panel found all the charges were not proven.
Following the outcome in the misconduct hearing of the former sergeant, Deputy Chief Constable Nikki Watson of Avon and Somerset police released a statement which stated that the force ”respect the LQC’s authority but are disappointed” with the outcome.
The statement read: ”The two-week misconduct hearing has been overseen by a Legally Qualified Chair (LQC), who is independent of the Constabulary.
”We fully respect the LQC’s authority but are disappointed that having carefully weighed up all the evidence they have ruled the allegations around dishonesty and discreditable conduct were not proven.
”Police officers and staff are expected to maintain the highest level of professional standards at all times.
”We have consistently believed the actions of the former officer on 24 December 2017 fell short of those standards and were not what the public would expect from their police service.
”We have invested a significant amount of time and resources into both a criminal and misconduct investigation since 2017.
”The officer involved is no longer employed by Avon and Somerset Police.”
When is To Catch a Copper on?
Channel 4’s new documentary, To Catch a Copper, will air on Monday, January 29, 2024.
Viewers can tune in to the brand-new three-part series from 9pm.
Episodes will also be broadcast on the channel’s streaming site My4 once they have aired.