Nottinghamshire PC sacked after lying about sickness to go to Turkey

Nottinghamshire Police said PC Joseph Jennings had been dismissed after a misconduct hearing on Thursday

A police officer who lied about being sick so he could go on holiday has been sacked.

Nottinghamshire PC Joseph Jennings had twice requested leave including 29 April, but it was refused due to insufficient staffing.

On that morning, a few hours before his shift was due to start, he texted his sergeant saying he had norovirus.

But this was found to be a lie, with PC Jennings flying to Turkey with his partner the day before.

Nottinghamshire Police said leave for PC Jennings had been granted from 30 April to 3 May, but not 29 April.

The force held an accelerated misconduct hearing on Thursday, in which PC Jennings said he was "sorry for what he did" and admitted "he made a bad decision which he states he will not do again".

He explained the holiday was non-refundable and that he needed 29 April off.

PC Jennings flew from East Midlands Airport to Turkey - a day before his shift was due to start on 29 April

The hearing, chaired by Chief Constable Kate Meynell, was told PC Jennings' team was left below required staffing levels, with his actions described as "dishonest, reckless and selfish".

The officer was dismissed following the hearing.

Ms Meynell said: "Members of the public quite rightly do not expect this behaviour from police officers.

"The officer's application for leave was refused so that minimum staffing levels could be maintained to keep our communities as well as one another safe.

"The public have a right to expect that when an officer commits acts of serious misconduct that such behaviour will be challenged and dealt with to ensure that public trust and confidence in the behaviour of our officers is maintained."