A police officer who appeared on Channel 5’s Police Interceptors TV series had ‘risky’ outdoor sex with a junior colleague after they exchanged thousands of flirty messages while on duty, a misconduct hearing heard today.
Acting sergeant Ben Sutcliffe, an officer with Cleveland Police in Teesside for 21 years, also had sex with the probationary constable while he was supposed to be on night shift, which involved taking his police dog to her home.
The former PC Sutcliffe exchanged around 64,000 text and WhatsApp messages with the woman, known only as PC A in the hearing, between July 2024 and November 2025.
However, when bosses became suspicious about their relationship, he lied and insisted they were only friends and encouraged the woman to cover it up.
Sutcliffe resigned from Cleveland Police in February.
Following an accelerated misconduct hearing in Stockton-on-Tees, Co Durham, on Wednesday, Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller adjudicated that Sutcliffe’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and that if he was still a serving officer he would have been dismissed.
He was also barred from the College of Policing register, meaning he can never serve again with any force.
Ben Sutcliffe, who served with Cleveland Police for 21 years, was found guilty of gross misconduct
The officer appeared on Channel 5's Police Interceptors in 2017 and 2018
The misconduct hearing heard that police officers are allowed to enter into relationships with each other.
However Sutcliffe's sexual relationship with the woman was conducted whilst both were on duty and involved him visiting her home for sex whilst on night shift from his role in the response team and dog section.
Detective Inspector Holly Hunter of the force's professional standards department told the hearing: ‘There were a large number of photographs and videos which were sexual in nature and were exchanged while the former officer was on duty.
‘The messages also showed that sexual activity had taken place in public places, albeit whilst the officers were off duty.’
DI Hunter added: ‘On August 3 2024 the former officer messaged PC A indicating his wish to have sex outside and refers to sexual activity in a car park in broad daylight, which he later described as risky.
‘In October of 2024 they discuss their sexual activity in public places and the risk of getting caught. It is evident the sexual activity has taken place, with the former officer referring to it.’
In December 2024 Sutcliffe referred in a message to ‘enjoying the risk’ of their outdoor sex sessions.
When rumours began circulating about their relationship in 2025 both were interviewed and Sutcliffe denied they were in a sexual relationship.
He told senior officers: ‘We are friends who go for dog walks and have coffee together.’
But at the same time he was warning PC A in messages: “Stick to the story and we won't get caught.”
The force said this was ‘controlling and coercive behaviour’ towards a junior officer.
Cleveland Police chose not to take disciplinary action against PC A. However, in her ruling against Sutcliffe, Chief Constable Fuller appeared to disagree with this decision saying ‘the matters require further consideration by the appropriate authority.’
As well as the sexual misconduct, investigators found that Sutcliffe had briefed PC A about the arrest of a Cleveland Police officer at his home address in July 2025, which he had no policing reason to do.
Handing down her decision, Chief Constable Fuller said: ‘The former officer's conduct was planned, intentional and deliberate, to enter a relationship in secret and to lie about it.
‘He was in a position of authority at the time. The appropriate authority does not contend abuse of position but he would have known not to engage in a relationship with a junior officer.’
Mr Sutcliffe made a written submission to the hearing, accepting his conduct amounted to misconduct but suggesting it fell short of gross misconduct.
In a statement released by the Police Federation, Sutcliffe said: ‘I wish to emphasise that at no stage did I intend to deceive, manipulate or misuse my position.
‘My primary motivation in withholding details was to maintain privacy due to past negative experiences within the organisation.’
He added: ‘I apologise for the areas where I fell short and I have reflected on them.’
Sutcliffe appeared in seasons 13 and 14 of Police Interceptors.
They joined the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, a joint team responsible for roads policing, armed response and supporting response officers, across two years.
In season 13, episode six, Sutcliffe confronted a speeding boy racer, while a routine stop uncovered a young driver suspected of taking drugs.
In episode seven, he was shown chasing a runaway driver.