PC stole drugs from evidence room and had sex with colleague at police station

 Brighton police officer stole drugs from the evidence room and had sex with a colleague at the John Street police station.

PC Joshua Johnson has been barred from serving as a police officer after being found guilty of gross misconduct at a disciplinary hearing.

The 29-year-old officer was granted anonymity during the hearing at Sussex Police HQ in August – but his name has now been published on the College of Policing’s barred list.

At the hearing, he was also found to have lied on his application form to become a police officer in April 2017, and during the vetting process.

After becoming an officer, he engaged in a sexual act with a female colleague at Brighton Station.

The in April 2020, he stole diazepam from the Brighton police station’s evidence stores, falsifying evidence bags in a bid to cover his tracks. The class C drug was evidence in a live criminal investigation.

He was arrested for this on April 4, 2020, and suspended from work while a police investigation took place.

By the time of the hearing, he had quit the force, but a panel found that if he hadn’t, he would have been dismissed.

Chief Superintendent Lisa Bell from the Professional Standards Department said: “Police officers must behave in a manner that does not discredit the police service or undermine public confidence.

“The actions of this officer fell far short of the standards and integrity expected by Sussex Police, which is reflected in the findings by the panel.

“The unacceptable conduct that has been heard here will not be tolerated but this poor behaviour should not overshadow the hard work by the vast majority of our officers, staff and volunteers within Sussex Police.”