Officer drove to work after drinking, hearing told

Former officer Sean McKenna was arrested by a colleague when he arrived at his work at Sellafield

A firearms officer who drove to work while over the alcohol limit was arrested by a colleague before his shift, a misconduct hearing was told.

Sean McKenna would have been dismissed had he not resigned from his role as an authorised firearms officer for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) at nuclear site Sellafield, in Cumbria, the panel decided.

The hearing was held after Mr McKenna admitted drink-driving at Workington Magistrates' Court in June.

A CNC spokesman said the former officer's behaviour was "entirely incompatible" with the expected standard.

Mr McKenna had driven his black Audi to work for his night shift on 24 April, a report published by the CNC said.

A witness statement from colleague Sgt Daniel Crake said he received information that Mr McKenna "may have been arriving to work over the prescribed limit for alcohol or drugs".

Acting Insp John LeJeune then asked Mr McKenna if he had had anything to drink recently, to which he responded he had drank "something" that morning.

He told the officers he had driven to work and, when breathalysed, was found to be over the limit.

'Risk of harm'

Mr McKenna was taken to Workington police station in handcuffs, the report said, where a further test found he had 100 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

He resigned from his job the following day.

During a hearing in June, Workington Magistrates' Court banned him from driving for 25 months and told him he must carry out 50 hours of unpaid work.

Mr McKenna was not present or represented at the misconduct hearing, which took place in September, but the panel determined to proceed in his absence.

The decision report said: "By his own admission, Mr McKenna committed a criminal offence which put the safety of other road users at risk of harm, and could have exposed others at his place of duty to a risk of harm had he not first been stopped by other officers before commencing that duty."

It added two mitigating factors had been taken into consideration - that this was a "single episode" and that he had admitted his offending.

A CNC spokesperson said: "Sean McKenna's behaviour was entirely incompatible with the high standards we require as a police officer in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

"Had he not already resigned from the force following the incident, he would have been dismissed for gross misconduct."