After being charged with misconduct for allegedly having sex with a woman who “jumped on him in his patrol vehicle,” a former police officer has been exonerated.
The lady was given a ride home by former sergeant Lee Cocking, 41, the acting inspector in charge of police in Weston-super-Mare, after she was kicked out of the “Skinny Dippers” nightclub for creating disturbance on Christmas Eve in 2017.
A jury last year exonerated him of a charge of misconduct in a public office despite the fact that he had been charged criminally over the event.
Mr. Cocking said that the lady sprang over the passenger and landed on him while denying any wrongdoing.
During a two-week police misconduct hearing, the former officer said that when she unzipped his pants and tried to have sex with him, he felt numb and went into a “total panic.”
Following a horrific accident in 2015 in which a little child perished, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and resigned from the police in July.
Deputy Chief Constable Nikki Watson of the Portishead headquarters of the Avon and Somerset Police said she was “disappointed” but accepted the decision.
“A Legally Qualified Chair who is independent of the constabulary has presided over the hearing.”
“We totally respect the chair’s authority, but we are sad that they have determined the claims of dishonesty and dishonourable behaviour were unfounded after carefully weighing all the facts.
“Police officers and employees are required to always uphold the highest calibre of professional standards.”
We have maintained that the former officer’s conduct on December 24, 2017, fell short of those expectations and were not in line with what the general public would expect from their police service.
Since 2017, we have devoted a lot of effort and resources to both a criminal and a misconduct inquiry.
The constable in question has left the Avon and Somerset Police.
She said that they would reserve further comment until they had reviewed the whole panel statement outlining the grounds for their decision to exonerate him of misbehaviour.
The panel’s grounds for clearing Mr. Cocking were not given by panel head Anna Vigars, but they are anticipated to be released shortly.
We don’t detect any misbehaviour with regard to Mr. Cocking, the woman added.
It is essential to note that we understand how challenging these proceedings have been for everyone involved and that we appreciate everyone for the reasonable manner in which they have been handled.
After an 11-day trial, a jury absolved Mr. Cocking of a felony allegation of misbehaviour related to the 2017 event last year.
A jury in a previous trial in Cirencester had been unable to reach a consensus.
The lady was quite inebriated when she told the jury that she had “three pints of cider followed by a lot of gin and tonics,” but she knew they had sex in his vehicle without a doubt.
She said in court that she tried to have sex in the vehicle but ended up getting a friction burn on her skin. She continued, “All I can remember is that we were battling in the car.”
I sat on top of him with my back on the steering wheel while he was in the driver’s seat. We stepped outside to have sex while my leg was next to the door. There was total darkness there.
Mr. Cocking’s attorney Ray Tully QC argued that the lady had straddled the cop and encouraged him to “man up” and act like a man in order to have sex with her.
She had requested to be dropped off near Knightstone Island in Weston-super-Mare, so he advised to the lady that he slowed down the car as they approached.
The lady had never said that the former officer had sexually abused her, and the intercourse was consensual, the panel was informed during the police misconduct hearing.
The panel rejected Mr. Cocking’s lawyer Ray Tully’s plea to waive her anonymity so that she may be identified publicly.
The lady chose not to participate in the proceedings, so the panel never got to hear from her.
Mr. Cocking was accused of delivering “untruthful replies to a police detention sergeant” regarding his medical history and engaging in “sexual interactions with a vulnerable member of the public while on duty,” which, if confirmed, would have amounted to gross misconduct.
He sobbed inconsolably during the Gloucester Crown Court trial last year when the jury found her not guilty.
The lady accepted his offer to drive her home in the unmarked silver Vauxhall Astra police vehicle, according to testimony during the trial.
She was raising disturbance outside the Skinny Dippers nightclub after being expelled from it.
He said that when the lady abruptly thrust herself on him, it was like a “outside body experience.”
Mr. Cocking said that because of his PTSD, he was not mentally able to fend off the woman’s approaches.
She unbuttoned his fly, took down her pants, and began “straddling” him in the driver’s seat of the car.
Mr. Cocking, a 20-year veteran of the police force, entered a not guilty plea to intentionally abusing his position of public trust by behaving improperly in the course of his official business.
According to his attorney, Mr. Cocking believed that he had personally experienced a sexual assault.
She allegedly stroked the side of his left leg while he was driving, laughed, and apologised.
Just before the old Toll road, she yelled for me to halt. I pulled up for her to just go.
However, she leaned in toward me, her head cocked and her lips pursed as if she were about to kiss me.
“I raised my hand to stop her.” I warned her not to because I would go into trouble if she did.
“This surprised me, and my anxiety levels increased.”
I was terrified since so many of my coworkers had their lives ruined by similar accusations. All I wanted was to bring her home so I could go home.
Her cries became “louder and louder” as he continued to drive.
He said that his thoughts were “racing,” and if he stopped, “she would make a complaint.”