‘Boobgate’ cop lands ‘£122k’ council role
A SHAMED senior police officer who bared her breast during a drunken rant against a junior colleague has resigned from GMP.
But Rebekah Sutcliffe, 49, who was given a final written warning after being found guilty of gross misconduct, has landed a job with Oldham council – listed in the advertisement as having a salary of £122,000 a year.
In November 2016, the then assistant chief constable, who earned £109,000, was disciplined for behaving ‘shockingly, cruelly, and hurtfully’ to Supt Sarah Jackson during a gala dinner at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel.
Early in 2017 she was seconded from the force to Oldham council to oversee a project to encourage police and other public bodies to work more closely together. GMP insiders said she had been ‘effectively sidelined.’
But it has now emerged she quit the force six weeks ago and has been appointed to a senior position in Oldham council’s six-strong executive management team, headed by chief executive, Carolyn Wilkins.
In a statement, GMP said: “Former ACC Rebekah Sutcliffe resigned from Greater Manchester Police with effect from December 31, 2018. Rebekah Sutcliffe was carrying out an important role contributing to public services and integration across the public sector. The salary costs during the secondment were shared.”
The force declined to explain in detail how the salary costs were shared.
Oldham council said in a statement: “We can confirm that Rebekah Sutcliffe was appointed to the role of strategic director of reform with effect from 1 January 2019. Prior to December 2018 she was seconded to the council and the salary cost during the secondment was shared.”
But in July last year Oldham council posted a video in which Ms Sutcliffe spoke about her role, which was described as strategic director of reform.
In the ‘boobgate’ incident, a severely drunk ACC Sutcliffe, a vicar’s daughter from Saddleworth, had pulled down her dress to reveal her left breast during an hour-long rant at her ‘silly and vain’ junior over her ‘boob job.’
Ms Sutcliffe declined to comment when contacted by the M.E.N.