Cheshire police officer jailed for sleeping with woman he arrested for drink driving

Michael Luckett, of Snowberry Crescent in Sankey Bridges, pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and not guilty to attempting to pervert the court of justice.

The 32-year-old had served as a senior constable for Cheshire Police for six-and-a-half years and as a special constable for more than three years.

He has now resigned from the force.

Today, Friday Manchester Crown Court heard how Luckett had attended a car crash in January 2019 in Warrington where a woman had flipped her car after colliding with a stationary vehicle.

Vanessa Walker, who was present in court to support her partner, was arrested by Luckett for drink driving and he accompanied her to hospital for blood samples.

Luckett then filed Miss Walker as a vulnerable person after she told him she had been locked out of the house by her then-husband.

He also interviewed the woman and told colleagues he would update the police log when he returned from annual leave.

Manchester Crown Court

Rachel Widdicome, prosecuting, said: “At the end of February, Miss Walker sent the defendant a Facebook request and he asked her if everything was alright.

“The next day they spoke on the phone for 30 minutes.

“He told his sergeant about the contact and messages but said there was no sexual references and they had not met up.

“His sergeant told Luckett to block the woman and change his name on his profile.

“He then referred this to the professional standards committee.”

Following her interview with Luckett, Miss Walker told him she suffered with anxiety and depression and he told her he experienced the same.

The committee decided it had been an error of judgement on Luckett’s behalf to open up to her and that the case would not be taken further.

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In March, Miss Walker was disqualified from driving for 20 months after appearing in Magistrate’s court.

At the end of April, Luckett told a colleague that he was now in a relationship with Miss Walker following her court appearance.

The professional standards authority was informed, and Luckett told DC Lever that he had obtained Miss Walker’s mobile number from his pocket handbook at the beginning of March and began a sexual relationship with her.

A few weeks after he had been told not to contact the woman again, he rang her and the pair kissed on a dog walk around the Pennine Trail.

They then met up once or twice a week at hotels or at her dad’s house.

On the day of her court appearance, the pair checked into a hotel.

He told her if the police asked her if he knew the date of her court hearing, to say no.

When police asked to see Luckett’s mobile phone, he handed over two phones, one of which was smashed and the simcard had been bent.

Nicholas Walker, defending, told the court that although this was a ‘very serious matter for a police officer to do what he did’ that he did not believe immediate custody was necessary due to Luckett’s circumstances.

He said: “He was honest about the first incident and frank with officers. This was not a case where he went on to corrupt a vulnerable person.

“It is clear the woman was at a low point when she did what she did but this was not a case where he was gaining a sexual benefit through his uniform.

“The harm has been done to the police service rather than the public.”

Mr Walker continued to tell the court how Luckett had resigned from his position which he ‘adored’ and had ‘dreamt of for many years’ and knew this would prevent him from working in law enforcement again.

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He added: “He was unwell at the time of incident and remains unwell. It was a very difficult and stressful job – in 2018 he was assaulted eight times.

“A man died in his arms, he was first at the scene of a horrendous suicide case and furthermore, was unable to resuscitate a baby.

“These incidents led to a breakdown and he was signed off work.

“He also had an unstable home life.”

Colleagues of Luckett provided statements to the court, describing him as ‘very hardworking, respected, well-liked and very experienced’.

They acknowledge that he was ‘always stressed at work and seemed on edge’ as a result of the cases he dealt with.

He has since been for trauma therapy, counselling and is on the waiting list for PTSD treatment.

Vanessa Walker’s dad also provided a statement saying he ‘has never seen his daughter so happy and so in love’ now she is with Mr Luckett.

Judge Martin Rudland said: “This was a monumental misjudgement – she was the defendant and you were the investigating officer.

“There is no doubt that you served with distinction in an extremely demanding role.

“While you were an example to others, the pressure of work became overbearing.

“You became attracted to the woman and that feeling was mutual but you became inappropriately involved with her while the prosecution was ongoing.

“You shared a mutual bond over struggling with mental illnesses, but this contact should have ended when it was branded an error of judgement.

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“It was a sexual and covert relationship and you were manipulative in trying to cover your tracks.

“The public must know that police act with professionalism and integrity.

“It is a great shame that you crossed the line.”

Family members sobbed and shouted abuse at police staff as Luckett was handed a 12-month sentence.