PC sacked over lost bullet at Buckingham Palace

An equipped royal extortion serviceman who lied astir losing a slug successful the grounds of Buckingham Palace and covered it up for 8 days has been sacked.

Stephen Cotgreave was connected ft patrol unsocial successful the palace gardens connected 6 December 2022 erstwhile helium accidentally dropped the mag - the portion of the weapon that holds oregon stores bullets earlier they are fired - from his firearm.

He picked up the mag and placed it backmost wrong the gun, but erstwhile helium returned the firearm to the armoury astatine the extremity of his displacement an hr later, 1 circular of ammunition was missing.

The officer, who was 48 astatine the time, was asked if helium could explicate the missing bullet, but helium said helium could not and denied dropping the magazine.

The incident, which was captured connected CCTV, "should person led to an contiguous and afloat hunt of the area" and posed a hazard to the payment of the royal household, a misconduct proceeding heard connected Monday.

It happened the time a protester had thrown an ovum astatine the King during a walkabout successful Luton, Bedfordshire.

Unyime Davies, connected behalf of the Metropolitan Police, told the sheet sitting astatine the Empress State Building successful westbound London: "As a effect of PC Cotgreave's abbreviated round, each the magazines were emptied and a thorough relationship was conducted, and the loading bay was searched.

"Asked if astatine immoderate constituent the mag dropped from the weapon, PC Cotgreave inactive denied immoderate cognition of however the circular went missing."

PC Cotgreave, based successful the Metropolitan Police's Royalty and Specialist Protection, recovered the missing slug 8 days later, connected 14 December, astatine the aforesaid determination helium archetypal dropped the magazine.

The serviceman went to the power country of Buckingham Palace, wherever helium admitted that helium had dropped the magazine, explaining that helium had felt "stupid, ashamed and embarrassed" since the incident.

It was past alleged that, successful failing to admit to the incidental connected 8 December, the serviceman breached the force's standards of nonrecreational behaviour successful respect of honesty and integrity.

In a connection dated 14 December, helium admitted dishonesty and misconduct but denied gross misconduct, arguing that helium had panicked and acted successful a "moment of madness".

Nicholas Yeo, defending Mr Cotgreave, told the misconduct proceeding helium accepted the superior substance but added that it was acceptable against 24 years of unblemished service.

Harry Ireland KC, president of the panel, said: "We find the culpability successful this substance to beryllium precocious arsenic determination was a deliberate people of behaviour by the serviceman which posed a hazard to the payment of the nationalist and the royal household."

The sheet recovered Mr Cotgreave had committed an "abuse of trust, peculiarly arsenic moving successful the royal household", and due to the fact that helium had been "concealing wrongdoing for 8 days and lying to chap officers connected 3 occasions" astir the incident.

Mr Cotgreave, who shook his caput arsenic the panel's verdict was returned, was dismissed with contiguous effect for gross misconduct astatine the extremity of the hearing.