Cleveland Police officer Lee Morgan gets suspended sentenced

Lee Morgan admitted two counts of sexual assault

A former police inspector who groped female colleagues at a Christmas party has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Lee Morgan, 46, touched the buttocks of two women at a pub in Yarm in 2021.

He resigned from his job at Cleveland Police and was barred from policing for life in November 2022.

At Newcastle Crown Court Morgan was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for two years, after admitting two sexual assaults.

The court heard Morgan, who had been a police officer for 23 years, had been drinking and implied to one of the victims he could "have her sacked".

Morgan, from Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, said he had no recollection of the offences but evidence was gathered from the pub's CCTV.

'Fall from grace'

In mitigation, Jane Waugh said Morgan's behaviour that night was out of character and that he had lost his career in public service during which he had displayed "exemplary conduct".

Ms Waugh said: "This is truly a fall from grace, this is a man who had an excellent career and was very well thought of."

She said he was "deeply remorseful" and had taken measures to control his drinking.

She said he also had a five-day stay in hospital after attempting suicide.

Morgan has also been placed on the sex offenders' register and must complete 100 hours' unpaid work.

'Unethical'

Neither of his victims supported the prosecution, and neither said they had suffered psychological harm as a result of what he did, the court heard.

In a statement released afterwards, Cleveland's Assistant Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said the force welcomed the sentence as Morgan's behaviour had fallen "well short of what is expected and acceptable".

"Our communities quite rightly expect everyone working for Cleveland Police to adhere to the highest professional and personal standards - whether on or off duty," she said.

"The force has robust mechanisms in place for identifying and reporting any behaviour which is believed to be unlawful, unethical, unprofessional or simply inappropriate. These procedures have proven effective in this case."