Anonymity refused in Lee Cocking police misconduct hearing

An ex-Avon & Somerset Police officer facing a misconduct hearing over allegations he had sex with a vulnerable woman can today be named as Lee Cocking.

Former sergeant Cocking was cleared by a crown court jury in 2021 of a criminal charge of misconduct in public office.

The alleged incident occurred while the officer was driving a drunken woman home in a constabulary car while on duty in Weston-super-Mare on December 23, 2017.

Despite the acquittal, the force is pursuing its own police misconduct proceedings, which opened in public at constabulary headquarters in Portishead on Monday with an application by ex-sergeant Cocking’s barrister Ray Tully to grant him anonymity.

Legally qualified chair Anna Vigars refused this because of the level of public interest in an already high-profile case involving an officer accused of abusing a position of trust.

The anonymity application was opposed by the force’s barrister Mark Ley-Morgan and a representative of Channel 4, which is making a TV documentary following Avon & Somerset Police’s professional standards department, who both argued he should be named.

Vigars turned down a request from the broadcaster to film part of the proceedings for the programme.

Cocking was cleared by a crown court jury in 2021 of a criminal charge of misconduct in public office – photo: Ellie Pipe

Tully told the hearing that ex-sergeant Cocking considered himself a victim of sexual assault in the incident more than four-and-a-half years ago because the woman had forced herself on him.

He said she had maintained it was consensual and had never accused the officer of a sex offence.

Tully said ex-sergeant Cocking had retired on medical grounds just a few weeks ago having been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday morning for legal arguments.

A jury found the officer not guilty of misconduct in a judicial or public office by wilfully misconducting himself in such a way as to amount to an abuse of public office, following an 11-day trial in May 2021 at Gloucester Crown Court.

An earlier jury trial in Cirencester had failed to agree a verdict.

Gloucester Crown Court heard that the woman had been ejected from Skinny Dippers night spot in Weston and was causing trouble outside.

A female police constable dealt with her initially before then-sergeant Cocking, who was 40 at the time of the trial, of Labourham Way, Cheddar in Somerset, arrived in his unmarked car.

The officer, an acting inspector that night, offered her a lift home, which she accepted, and the prosecution claimed that on the way he took advantage and had sex with her, which she had willingly taken part in.

His case was that he suffered from PTSD resulting from earlier tragic incidents during his police career and was not psychologically able to resist the woman’s sexual advances, and that he was actually the victim.

A publicity notice for the police misconduct hearing alleges that ex-sargeant Cocking breached standards of professional behaviour for police officers in relation to honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct.

He is accused of having sexual relations with a vulnerable member of the public while on duty and giving untruthful answers to a police custody sergeant in relation to his own medical history.

These would amount to gross misconduct if proven, the notice alleges.

An interim anonymity order was in place before the hearing started, which has now been superseded by the LQC’s decision on Monday.

Main photo: Stephen Sumner

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