Ex-sergeant Lee Cocking cleared of misconduct after sex in police car

Lee Cocking was acquitted of criminal charges in 2021

A former police officer accused of having sex with a vulnerable woman while on duty has been cleared of misconduct.

Ex-Sgt Lee Cocking was giving the woman a lift home after she was ejected from a nightclub in Weston-super-Mare on Christmas Eve in 2017.

He was cleared of criminal charges in 2021 but Avon and Somerset Police took him to a police misconduct hearing.

Mr Cocking denied wrongdoing and said the woman had forced herself on him.

The former sergeant, who retired from the force on medical grounds in July, 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.

The panel found all the charges were not proven.

Resistance 'not possible'

The panel heard she climbed into his car in the early hours of Christmas Eve after being ejected from the Skinny Dippers nightspot.

Mr Cocking, 41, told the panel he had offered to take her home in an attempt to prevent further trouble.

He said he felt "numb" and unable to call for help when she straddled him in his parked police car.

It had "not been possible to resist" her advances, he added, and said he had been the victim of a sexual assault.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, declined to take part in the hearing.

Force 'disappointed' by verdict

Following the misconduct hearing Avon and Somerset Police released a statement stating that it respected the authority of the independent panel but was "disappointed" with its decision.

"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," it added.

"We have invested a significant amount of time and resources into both a criminal and misconduct investigation since 2017.

"We are unable to comment further until we have reviewed the full determination from the LQC.

"Full details of the outcome will be published on our website."