Detective 'not blinkered' over police sex assault claim

The former sergeant had been overseeing policing in Weston-super-Mare at the time

A detective investigating a colleague who had sex with a woman while on duty has denied being too "blinkered" to consider the officer's claims fairly.

Avon and Somerset Det Con Amber Redman insisted proper enquiries had been made into claims made by Lee Cocking that he was the potential victim in the case.

Mr Cocking, a former sergeant, said the woman involved sexually assaulted him.

He faces a police misconduct hearing after he admitted having sex with a vulnerable woman in Weston-super-Mare.

Det Con Redman was giving evidence on day six of the hearing.

Barrister Ray Tully, representing Mr Cocking who retired from the police force on medical grounds in July, accused the detective of having no interest in considering the possibility the drunk woman had been the aggressor, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Cocking, who was acting inspector and the most senior officer in charge of policing Weston-super-Mare on the night of 23 December, 2017, admitted "sexual activity" took place with the woman in his unmarked police car.

It happened after she was thrown out of Skinny Dippers nightclub for antisocial behaviour and he offered to give her a lift home, the panel heard.

'We weren't blinkered'

But the former officer insists the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, "jumped" on him in the driver's seat during the journey and that he was unable to fend off her unwanted advances.

Mr Tully told the hearing at force headquarters in Portishead on Monday that the woman had been seen "snogging indiscriminately" at least three male customers that evening and had also "hit three or four people" inside or outside of the club.

He told Det Con Redman, who had been the investigating officer: "Right from the outset of your investigation into these matters you had blinkers on.

"You had made up your mind who was your victim, who was your villain."

She replied: "No. When the decision was made that we would treat Sgt Cocking's account as an account allegation, a crime report was raised and also he was given access to an independent sexual violence adviser.

"So no, we weren't blinkered."

She denied Mr Tully's accusation that she "paid lip service only to his complaints".

Det Con Redman said her focus had been on investigating what happened in the car between Mr Cocking and the woman, because the physical assaults had been "documented already" and were not part of her inquiries, and no members of the public had reported being sexually assaulted by the woman.

Mr Cocking is accused of breaching standards of professional behaviour for police officers in relation to honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct, which could amount to gross misconduct if proven.

He was acquitted of a criminal charge of misconduct in a public office last year over the same matter.