A police sergeant hailed a hero by ex-Prime Minister David Cameron for rescuing a family from a burning building has been sacked for meeting up with his new boyfriend while on-duty.
Sergeant Lee Stephens, 42, deserted his duty on 12 shifts to drive home or to a mountain cafe in his police car to spend time with his partner.
He was caught out when senior officers from Gwent Police checked the GPS on his police car and discovered he was 15 miles away from his station in Bargoed.
Stephens won a police bravery award in 2011 presented to him by then Prime Minister David Cameron for helping to rescue six people from a burning building.
But his 13-year police career was ended after it was discovered he was bunking off for up to an hour and 40 minutes to meet up with his partner.
Stephens claimed they were having problems – but a picture he put on Facebook showed them “smiling and happy”.
And he admitted he may have kissed or hugged his lover while meeting up with him at the Caerphilly Mountain Snack Bar.
A disciplinary hearing was told Stephens went missing while he was in charge of a team of ten officers based in Bargoed.
Prosecutor Barnabas Branston told the hearing: “He was there to supervise and do everything that supervision involves, he was there to set an example.
“He has epically failed in his role as a police officer, he was there to provide support.
“It was not a one-off, it was not an emergency – if it was a one-off it could have been justified.
“He pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes, he does not have integrity whatsoever because he does what he wants.”
The hearing was told that aggravating factors were that Stephens was in uniform and driving a marked police car to his home 15 miles away in Cardiff, or to the mountain cafe.
The hearing was told that for 12 out of 15 shifts the sergeant was travelling to meet his partner on his breaks with the longest excursion lasting an hour and 40 minutes.
Father-of-two Stephens admitted to four allegations of misconduct.
He told the hearing that his partner was having problems due to a previous relationship.
He said: “I thought I could juggle personal issues with work and looking back now I realise I couldn’t do both.
“I was juggling both my family and my partner. If I know what I had done now I would have accessed a GP and got some time off work.
“I have let my team down.”
An independent panel found Stephens had committed gross misconduct on two allegations and was “dishonest and lacked integrity”.
Panel chairman Peter Jones said Stephens’ disappearances meant that “confidence could not be maintained in his ability to serve as a police officer.”
Stephens, who was said to be “professional and hard-working”, was dismissed without notice from his £41,000-a-year job with Gwent Police.
In 2011 the sergeant was praised by Prime Minister David Cameron during an award ceremony after he and other officers saved a family from a fierce fire in Newport.
Mr Cameron told him: “You think the fire service do that job but if the police are there first they go in and do what they can.
“You saved precious lives, well done.”
At least Gwent Police dismissed him – but what on earth are we getting as Police Officers these days when they pull a stroke like this ?
And a Police Sergeant no less – he should be setting an example to others !
It’s disgusting what has happened to this Sargent, I’ve know a few police officers doing what this officer has done and nothing has been done about it.
I’ve seen a few officers drinking on duty nothing has been done about it.
It’s all because he is Gay.
His s sexuality has nothing to do with it. It would be the same for a heterosexual person. This has all to do with neglect of duty. I hope that if you do know constables drinking on duty, that you will report them, but like all snowflakes on social media, you never have the courage to follow it through. You would rather just complain.
This isn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened in Gwent – I recall an article in the South Wales Argus a few years back some officers got dismissed for seeing how far out of Gwent they could get in police vehicles.
I would like to know why Jack thinks it’s a sexuality issue, when clearly it’s a neglect of issue. We see it across the board from the CPO’s to the council wardens all neglecting their duties because we never see any of them on our streets
Totally unproffesional and he is a victim of his own poor judgememt.
Totally disgusting and from a sergeant too, he should be setting an example to his officers. He got what he deserved. I’m just wondering where all the other Gwent constables, CPO’s and those council warden types are hiding. I wonder why I pay my tax at times.