A disgraced Met Police detective who had sex with a mother he had cautioned for hitting her child has been sacked following a misconduct hearing.
Detective Constable Darren Stedman started a relationship with the woman after he investigated her for assaulting her five-year-old son in 2008.
He took her for a coffee as they waited for her caution to be processed and was told he should pop in to her house whenever he was in the area, the hearing was told.
Detective Constable Darren Stedman was dismissed by the Met Police following a disciplinary hearing after he admitted having a sexual relationship with a woman he had investigated
But, years after their brief affair, Stedman, who was attached to Scotland Yard’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command, accessed crime reports relating to his former lover.
She had been a victim of domestic abuse and Stedman twice provided her with confidential information in January 2011 and in July 2013, the hearing was told.
The hearing was also told that Stedman took home an album of crime scene photos relating to a case involving the murders of two children.
He was also accused of gross misconduct for using his home computer to edit video evidence from three victims in another separate trial without properly deleting the material afterwards.
Stedman faced a series of misconduct charges said to amount to a breach of the Met’s standards of professional behaviour in respect of ‘confidentiality, duties and responsibilities and discreditable conduct’.
The hearing, in Fulham, west London, was told Stedman met the woman, referred to only as Ms M, while he was investigating an allegation of assaulting her five-year-old.
She admitted the offence and was cautioned.
However, due to a computer fault, there was a delay in issuing the caution and while they waited Stedman took the woman for a coffee.
Charles Apthorp, representing the Met Police, told the hearing: ‘He went for a coffee outside the police station with her and began to start and form the beginnings of a relationship.
‘They went back to the police station and he administered the caution.
‘They left the police station together and she invited him to her home if he was ever in the area.
‘We say that is a rather unacceptable way to administer the caution and it diminishes the impact of it.
‘He does appear to be starting the relationship with this lady rather than focusing on the judicial process.’
The search of the crime reports years later related to a separate case involving the same woman, who this time was the victim of domestic abuse.
Mr Apthorp said: ‘This is a serious breach of duties. He was not involved in the case.
‘It appeared out of friendship he supported a person who he had previously had an intimate relationship with.
‘It is a wholly unacceptable breach of trust placed in police officers. He was helping a friend when there was no policing purpose for his search.
‘He would not have done this and put his career on the line if this was just a causal acquaintance.
‘The relationship poses a risk to himself and his colleagues.
‘He was prepared to undermine the confidence in the service and involve himself in other officers case when there was no policing purpose to do so.’
The hearing was also told the album of scene of crime photos related to a separate case involving the murder of two children more than ten years ago.
Mr Apthorp said the album had been found in a drawer in Stedman’s home and may have been in his possession for up to five years.
He said: ‘This album were the detailed photographs of murdered children and we take this matter extremely seriously.
‘This type of material should never be taken from a police station by an officer.
‘He was not involved in this investigation and there was no legitimate reason for it being in his possession.
‘It is inexcusable the officer would take sensitive evidence to his home and retain it for years.’
Colin Banham, representing Stedman, said he admitted they had a short sexual relationship.
However, Mr Banham added: ‘The officer has admitted he had an intimate relationship with someone who had been a suspect in an investigation he had been involved in.
‘He volunteered that and admitted that. However in a criminal sense the investigation had ceased as she had been cautioned.
‘It was some time later he met up with her before they had a brief sexual relationship.’
He said Stedman admitted misconduct on some of the allegations, but denied gross misconduct.
But Stedman was dismissed from the force without notice.
Chairman of the misconduct hearing Julian Weinberg, having considered all of the evidence, found the case of gross misconduct proven and that Stedman had breached the standards of professional behaviour.