Avon and Somerset police officer who used sex worker sacked

A police officer who used the services of a sex worker with links to organised crime has been sacked.

PC Kelly Norris was dismissed without notice and barred from the profession following an Avon and Somerset Police misconduct hearing.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew ruled that the officer had breached standards of conduct that amounted to gross misconduct.

"There is no place for such behaviour in Avon and Somerset Police," she said.

The hearing heard that the officer, based in Bath, reported himself to his supervisor after realising he had previously seen the police record of a sex worker he slept with while off duty, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Ms Crew said she considered the fact that the conduct took place off duty but that every police officer accepted certain restrictions on their privacy and he had chosen to disclose what happened to the force.

She ruled PC Norris had breached standards of conduct including integrity, authority, respect and courtesy and said the public "would be shocked to hear of a police officer paying for sexual services".

"We in policing know that sex workers are often vulnerable victims of exploitation, control and physical and sexual violence.

"PC Norris is or should have been aware of these vulnerabilities, yet he has chosen to engage sex workers more than once.

"He also knew or should have known the potential for sex workers to be linked with organised crime groups and should have realised the risk this posed to his integrity as a police officer," said the chief constable.

In her ruling, Ms Crew said she had concluded that the officer "knew the conduct was wrong but continued anyway".

"The officer has provided evidence of mental ill-health.

"However, I have noted in his submissions that he does not use it as an excuse for his behaviour," she added.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]