Former Sussex Police Officer Found Guilty Of Gross Misconduct

Gross misconduct has been proven against a former Sussex Police officer following an accelerated misconduct hearing.

Former Detective Constable Jessica Newey faced the hearing on Thursday, 19 March, over breaches of professional standards, including honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, duties and responsibilities, and discreditable conduct.

The panel heard that Newey falsely claimed to have viewed CCTV evidence submitted as part of a criminal trial.

She later admitted the breach to her supervisor, prompting an investigation by Sussex Police’s Professional Standards Department and a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The hearing was told that the outcome of the criminal trial was not affected by her actions, and there was no evidence of similar issues in any other cases she had worked on.

Gross misconduct was found to be proven across all counts.

Newey was informed she would have been dismissed had she not already resigned and has now been placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing her from working as a police officer in future.

Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme said maintaining the integrity of investigations is essential to securing justice for victims.

He added that this depends on the honesty and diligence of officers, and where standards fall short, appropriate action will be taken.

He said that although the matter came to light after the officer reported it herself, it still represented a serious breach of professional standards and would have resulted in dismissal had she remained in the force.