Hero police officer loses job after speeding on way to work

A police officer who won a commendation for rescuing a toddler from a burning house has been sacked after speeding while dashing to work during a staffing crisis.
Custody Sgt Tim Perrin was dismissed by Devon and Cornwall Police after being accused of dishonesty when he attempted to appeal against a speeding fine.
The father of two, who had a 20-year unblemished career in the police, was sacked last week over the single incident that occurred almost two years ago.
The 43-year-old, who is now working as a maintenance man in Torquay, said the experience has completely shattered his faith in the police misconduct process and makes him fear for the future of the service.
The case comes after Pc Lorne Castle was dismissed by neighbouring Dorset Police for swearing at a teenage knife-wielding thug during an arrest in Bournemouth in January 2024.
Mr Perrin accused Devon and Cornwall Police of putting more resources into investigating his case than trying to solve real crimes.
He said: 'I am not surprised they came to the decision they did in the end as cancel culture in the police is rife. There is a huge over-reaction to things nowadays.
'The pendulum has swung completely in the opposite direction and forces are just desperate to show that they are squeaky clean. Officers are no longer given the benefit of the doubt.
'But the result is that experienced officers are leaving in their droves. They have just had enough and forces are having to replace them with young inexperienced recruits. It is bad for policing and bad for the public.'
The incident dates back to August 2023 when Sgt Perrin's boss asked if he would be able to travel to Plymouth the following morning to help cover a staffing crisis in the custody suite there.
The car journey from his home near Torquay would normally take around 45 minutes but just before he was about to set off he said he received a message from an officer at the Plymouth station asking him to hurry as things were getting out of control.
Heeding the call, Sgt Perrin admitted putting his foot down in order to get there as soon as was safely possible.
But at some point during the journey he was flashed by a speed camera doing 48mph in a 30mph zone.
A few days later he received a notice of intended prosecution in the post but decided to appeal against the ticket on the basis he believed had been fulfilling a valid policing purpose.
His boss agreed he should challenge the ticket, but when the appeal was rejected Sgt Perrin accepted the decision, paid the fine and took the points.
He assumed that would be the end of the matter but then in January 2024 he was informed he was being investigated for gross misconduct over his allegedly 'dishonest account'.
The force's department of professional standards had raised suspicions over some alleged inconsistencies in his account and suggested he had lied about receiving a call urging him to get to Plymouth as soon as possible on the day of his speeding offence.
Mr Perrin said: 'To receive gross misconduct papers for only trying to do my job and help out my colleagues was quite a shock but initially I thought, well, I haven't done anything wrong so this won't go anywhere.
'I was interviewed in April or May last year and asked to give a very detailed account of the incident, which was almost a year earlier.
'I have made that journey to Plymouth dozens of times so being asked to recall every aspect of a specific day was very challenging.
'They tried to speak to officers who had been on duty at Plymouth who might have made the phone call to me but there was nothing remarkable about this and so understandably they could not recall whether they had spoken to me or not.
'Throughout all this though I still thought 'well it will be ok, the system will see me right'.
'But when I was informed that they were taking it to a hearing I began to worry because I know how these things work.'
'They discredit you'
Sgt Perrin faced a misconduct panel on June 16 where, on the balance of probabilities, the case against was found proven and he was dismissed.
He said: 'The barrister who was representing the force grilled me for several hours, ridiculing and patronising me. It just felt that the sole purpose of the exercise was not to get to the truth but to get me sacked.
'They discredit you and make you look like you have done something wrong.
'I tried to explain that perhaps my account was poorly worded in places and left open to interpretation for people who worked outside of the custody environment but in no way had I been dishonest.
'It was found that gross misconduct had been proven on the balance of probabilities and as this was an honesty and integrity issue, the only outcome could be dismissal without notice.
'Despite all the good character evidence put forward, despite the huge impact this would have on my ability to look after my family and pay my bills and how well I was respected in my local community, I was sacked.
'I do not understand how being dismissed is proportionate to the circumstances. I have been treated worse than any criminal, the time and effort to investigate this is far beyond what the force would invest into investigating actual crime.
'I would estimate the cost to the public would be well over six digits yet there are no resources or money to actually attend burglaries or shopliftings, for example.'
String of commendations
In 2008 Mr Perrin received a string of commendations after he entered a burning building to rescue a toddler who had become trapped on the third floor.
In a glowing citation the local fire chief wrote: 'Pc Perrin and his colleagues placed themselves at considerable risk and are commended for their bravery in saving the life of this child.'
On another occasion, he won praise for being part of a Taser crew who successfully tackled a man believed to be armed with a shotgun and he received a third commendation for bravely rescuing a man who had fallen down a coastal cliff during a storm.
Mr Perrin said the outcome has had a devastating impact on him and his partner, Lisa, who is also a serving police officer.
He added: 'Things have changed for the worse. Officers are not allowed to make mistakes any more. It is one strike and you are out.'
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'Following a two-day gross misconduct panel hearing this week, Mr Perrin was found to have been culpable for gross misconduct and dismissed with immediate effect.
'Mr Perrin was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour in terms of honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct.
'This related to his reply to a notice of intended prosecution following a speeding offence in his private vehicle. The panel did not accept the account provided by the officer to be true and found the actions of this officer were deliberately misleading for personal gain representing a lack of integrity and undermining public confidence in the police service.
'As with all cases of this nature, a full report from the gross misconduct panel chair will be submitted to the force in due course, provided to Mr Perrin and published on our website.'

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