Avon and Somerset police officer banned for sex texts to teenager

Scott Burton was found to have committed gross misconduct for his texts to an underage girl

A police officer decorated for his work after the Manchester Arena bombing has been barred from the profession for sending sexually explicit texts to a teenager.

Former Det Con Scott Burton sent the girl, 15, "inappropriate" messages and invited her to watch Netflix.

The Avon and Somerset Police officer was found to have committed gross misconduct on Monday.

The officer resigned from the force last month.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew ruled he would have been sacked without notice had he not already quit.

A hearing at Avon and Somerset Police's force headquarters in Portishead was told Mr Burton sent the underage girl "inappropriate flattering sexual messages" over a three-week period.

Mr Burton told the teen to delete the messages, but they were discovered by her mother.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew found Scott Burton had brought policing into disrepute

The ex-officer appeared in court earlier this year charged with sexual communication with a child.

He initially denied the allegation but later accepted responsibility.

The former officer received a police caution and was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for two years in September.

Over his 20 years career with Avon and Somerset Police, the father-of-two received three chief constable commendations, the hearing was told.

One related to his work investigating the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, and another to an arson attack at an Exeter synagogue in 2018.

Mr Burton, who did not attend the hearing in person, said he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he sent the messages.

Avon and Somerset Police Federation chairman Mark Loker, representing the officer, said he had sent the messages to the girl "naively" and to "boost her confidence".

Mr Loker said the messages about Netflix had been "taken out of context" and were "completely innocent" but DC Burton had acknowledged that he "overstepped the mark".

'Devoted dad'

In a letter read by Mr Loker on DC Burton's behalf, the former officer said: "I am not a sexual predator, a deviant or some kind of paedophile - what I am is a family man, loving husband and devoted dad."

He said there was no evidence that he sought sexual gratification by sending the messages.

Chief Constable Crew told the hearing: "Any criminal offence is serious when the perpetrator is a police officer, however, a sexual offence must be of the utmost gravity.

"Such offending involves a fundamental breach of the public's trust in police officers, and it brings the profession of policing into disrepute."