Disgraced West Midlands Police detective sold sex to strangers

Nicholas Taylor's actions were found to amount to gross misconduct

A detective offered sexual services with his partner for money while off-duty, a misconduct panel has found.

Nicholas Taylor, who was based in Bloxwich, would have been dismissed from West Midlands Police had he not already resigned, the force said.

A panel found he breached professional standards by operating a sex work business from his home and he has been barred from working in policing again.

Mr Taylor's business was brought to light by The Sun newspaper in 2020.

It sparked an internal investigation by West Midlands Police which found Mr Taylor, a former detective constable with 19 years policing experience, and his partner were offering sexual services on the internet for money.

The contents of the article, which reported Mr Taylor was advertising threesomes at his Shropshire home for an hourly rate of £150, were not disputed during the misconduct hearing.

The force removed him from public-facing duties and while the investigation continued, Mr Taylor resigned from police work.

'Last chance saloon'

At a hearing on Wednesday, his behaviour was found to have amounted to gross misconduct.

Mr Taylor did not attend the disciplinary hearing but submitted a document arguing his sex work was "an expression of his sexual identity" and part of his private life.

He denied that taking money for sex amounted to a business interest, arguing instead the force had taken a "prudish" approach to his behaviour.

However John Goss, representing West Midlands Police, said "the exchange of money for services is quite obviously a business interest" and that it ought to have been "blindingly obvious" to Mr Taylor that his sex work would be an issue.

It was also revealed that the former officer was "already in the last chance saloon" after previously receiving a written warning for neglect of duties. He was said to have shredded statements in a witness intimidation case rather than uploading them to a police system.

For his sex work, Mr Taylor was found to have breached professional standards relating to his duties and responsibilities, and instructions, as well as conducting himself in a discreditable way.

Panel chairman Harry Ireland emphasised that the decision was not "a moral judgement" on Mr Taylor's sexual preferences, adding that his actions were "akin to a criminal offence".

"We expect the highest standards of behaviour from our officers, both on and off duty," said Det Ch Supt Sam Ridding, the head of professional standards at West Midlands Police.

"[Mr] Taylor should not have engaged in activity that was likely to bring discredit on the police service and any business interests should have been declared to be assessed for any potential conflicts of interest with his role within the police.

"He failed to do that, and his off-duty actions brought discredit upon West Midlands Police."