Surrey Police: Detective sacked over relationship and cover-up

Det Con Rene Murdoch had denied three of the allegations against him

A police detective has been dismissed for having sex with a woman he met while on duty.

Det Con Rene Murdoch, of Surrey Police, was found to have deliberately hidden the relationship by deleting messages.

A panel also found he had tried to influence the woman's evidence during an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

Six allegations against Mr Murdoch were proven as gross misconduct and he was sacked without notice.

He had denied three of the allegations and admitted three others as misconduct.

'Improper relationship'

Graham Beesley, IOPC regional director, said: "DC Murdoch breached police professional standards of behaviour by pursuing an improper relationship with a member of the public, whom he had met during the course of his official duties.

"Not only did he fail to notify his superiors, as he was required to do, but he also actively tried to hide the relationship and interfere with our investigation.

"The public rightly expects police officers to maintain exemplary standards of integrity and professionalism and the panel's decision to dismiss DC Murdoch immediately is an indication of how far below those standards his behaviour fell.

"The officer will now be placed on the barred list of former officers who cannot work for the police service in the future."