Essex PC 'let banned driver take officers to party'

The misconduct hearing was held at the Civic Centre in Chelmsford

A PC let her partner take her and two fellow officers to a Christmas party despite knowing he was banned for drug driving, a misconduct hearing was told.

PC Harriet Clarke, from Basildon, Essex, is accused of letting her now-husband David Clarke drive her and her colleagues to and from Stock for a work meal on 21 December 2017.

He is also said to have picked her up from work on 6 January 2018.

PC Clarke denies knowing he was banned from driving at the time.

PC Clarke is alleged to have breached the standards for honesty and integrity, duty and responsibilities, and discreditable conduct.

While she accepts her partner was banned from driving at the time of both incidents, she claims she was not aware of the ban.

But Stephen Morley, acting for Essex Police, said PC Clarke had mentioned knowing about his driving ban late in 2017 to a colleague after a domestic incident.

Mr Morley said: "I would think that if you lived with someone you would know if they had been to court and had been disqualified from driving."

PC Clarke and her partner had briefly broken up in April 2017, around the time of Mr Clarke's court hearing for drug driving, but reconciled quickly, the hearing was told.

The hearing, which is being held at Chelmsford Civic Centre, continues.