Chasing Criminals to Chasing Skirts: Former Cleveland Police Sarge Banned...
Cleveland Sarge's Saucy Stakeouts Come Back to Haunt Him as Former Sargeants Police Career Ends in Disgrace.
21st October 2026
A former Cleveland Police sergeant who appeared on the popular television programme Police Interceptors has been banned from policing after a Misconduct Panel found he'd committed gross misconduct following a long list of sexual encounters with a junior colleague, thousands of private messages and blatent attempts to conceal their relationship from police bosses.
Ben Sutcliffe, a former temporary sergeant with Cleveland Police, was the subject of an accelerated misconduct hearing on Wednesday, 21st October, following an investigation into his relationship with a female officer.
The hearing concluded that his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct, with the former officer now barred from ever returning to policing in the future & his illustrious policing carear in tatters.
Sutcliffe, who previously appeared on Channel 5's Police Interceptors, had already resigned from Cleveland Police in February and chose not to attend the hearing which was held at Scotswood House in Thornaby, Stockton On Tees.
From police pursuits to a very different kind of encounter
Sutcliffe was once among the officers featured in the Channel 5 TV Series 'Police Interceptors', a programme following police operations, vehicle pursuits and the work of specialist officers.
However, the latest revelations surrounding his professional conduct have placed the former television officer in the headlines for entirely different reasons, with the misconduct proceedings examining a relationship with a junior female colleague which extended well beyond the boundaries of an ordinary workplace romance.
According to reporting of the hearing, investigators uncovered evidence of more than 64,000 messages exchanged between the pair, many of which were sexually explicit.
The disciplinary case also included sexual encounters in public places, including an incident in a car park during daylight hours.
Thousands of messages uncovered during investigation
The relationship reportedly began in the summer of 2024, when Sutcliffe was working in a supervisory position and the female colleague was a probationary officer, with concerns eventually reaching Cleveland Police's Professional Standards Department, which began investigating rumours about the relationship in August 2025.
Sutcliffe initially denied the allegations, but the female officer subsequently acknowledged the relationship. Investigators examining her mobile phone discovered 57,568 WhatsApp messages and 6,631 text messages exchanged between the pair.
The messages provided evidence of the relationship, including sexually explicit communications during working hours and discussions about encounters in public places.
Evidence presented at the hearing also indicated that the couple's sexual activity in public places occurred while they were off duty.
A Former officer was accused of attempting to cover up relationship...
Beyond the sexual encounters, its claimed one of the most serious aspects of the case concerned Sutcliffe's honesty when questioned by colleagues investigating his conduct.
The hearing was told that he'd repeatedly denied being romantically involved with the female officer. Yet Evidence showed that he'd encouraged her to give the same account to investigators.
Although Sutcliffe failed to attend the proceedings personally, a representative from the Police Federation presented his position, with the former officer in a statement presented to the panel acknowledging the shortcomings in his behaviour and offering an apology, while disputing the suggestion that his professional performance had been adversely affected.
He also questioned why the female officer had not faced disciplinary proceedings.
The hearing was informed that any disciplinary action concerning the female officer would require separate consideration by the police profesional standards department with reporting restrictions currently protecting the female officers identity in place..
Serious questions over police standards
While the unusual circumstances surrounding the case might appear more suited to a Carry On comedy than a professional police force, the misconduct findings are said to be raising more serious questions about the Teesside police force that is facing yet more questions over public confidence, corruption & misconduct.
Sutcliffe's resignation in February failed to prevent Cleveland Police from proceeding with its disciplinary case where he has now been banned from ever becoming a police officer again in the future.
But the case has also left a separate question concerning the professional conduct of the female officer, whose position at the force with no public confidence remains subject to consideration.
