It’s affair cop! Officers’ f ling uncovered by squad car GPS
TWO police officers who had sexual relations on duty were caught with the help of GPS data from their squad cars.
Zoe Phillips, 32, and married Andrew Perry, 35, drove to remote locations to meet during their shifts.
On one occasion the mother- ofone performed a sex act on her colleague in a police car and the pair also met at her home when they were supposed to be on duty.
Their trysts were exposed after an anonymous tip-off to the force.
An investigation was launched and their squad cars’ GPS history proved they had been meeting, a misconduct hearing was told.
Traffic specialist Perry and schools liaison officer Phillips worked for Gwent Police but resigned when the affair came to light.
Perry, a father-of-three whose wife is still an officer with the force, admitted that he and Phillips had indulged in ‘heavy petting’ and that he had received oral sex from her. Both have been barred from the force after their actions were ruled to be gross misconduct.
But the panel said Perry and Phillips – named only as Mr A and Ms B in the hearing – would have been dismissed if they had not quit.
Panel chairman Christopher McKay said their ‘deplorable’ behaviour had ‘undermined public confidence in the police force’.
He added: ‘All the contact Mr A had with Ms B was during working hours when he was on duty. The fact he was with Ms B in remote locations is likely to have prohibited his ability to respond to calls.
‘Ms B sought to minimise her own responsibility for her actions and sought to blame Mr A. She was not a victim but a willing participant.’
Presenting officer Jonathan Walter had previously told the hearing: ‘Anonymous phone calls were made to Gwent Police alleging that Ms B and Mr A were meeting in remote locations whilst on duty and at Ms B’s home address for the purpose of a sexual relationship.
‘The investigating officer obtained GPS data to show the likely whereabouts of Ms B and Mr A in relation to each other whilst on duty.’
The hearing was told the data revealed the officers were together on a large number of occasions when there was no ‘policing reason’ for it.
Mr Walters said it was to Perry’s ‘eternal credit he did not flinch from telling the investigating officers exactly what happened’.
‘This led him to admitting that on one occasion Ms B had performed oral sex on him in a police vehicle when they were both on duty and there had been sexual contact in the form of heavy petting,’ he added.
They also met at Phillips’s house for sex while Perry was on duty.
Mr Walters said: ‘There is no doubt that Ms B and Mr A were seeing each other during working hours in early 2018 and by no later than March, this had developed into an emotional relationship.
‘ Ultimately, the relationship between Ms B and Mr A developed into a sexual relationship.’
Perry admitted that two allegations against him amounted to gross misconduct.
Phillips admitted meeting with Perry while he was on duty and to sending a sexualised photo to him.
She denied sexual contact with him on duty and said her actions amounted to misconduct rather than gross misconduct. The panel did not accept this.
It was also found Phillips took an X-rated picture on duty but that this amounted only to misconduct.
‘She was a willing participant’