Former detective constable Sean Brierley would have been dismissed for gross misconduct after drinking three glasses of wine at an East London bar while on duty
A Metropolitan Police officer became “so intoxicated that he could not walk straight” after drinking wine whilst on duty at an East London bar.
Former detective constable Sean Brierley would have faced the sack had he not already resigned from the force, a misconduct panel has determined.
Brierley headed to Gravity Well Taproom on the evening of 2 July 2025 following news that a suspect at Leyton police station wasn’t yet ready to be questioned, MyLondon reports.
According to the panel’s ruling, bar CCTV captured the Metropolitan Police officer purchasing three glasses of white wine across a two-hour period.
The hearing on 12 February was told that footage showed Mr Brierley appearing “unsteady on his feet”, “staggering” and “off balance” upon his return to the station later that evening.
Evidence from a custody sergeant revealed Mr Brierley had “smelt drunk”, whilst additional staff members noted his speech had been “slurred”, the ruling stated.
In her concluding remarks, panel chair Commander Katie Lilburn noted: “The fact that the former officer was so intoxicated that he could not walk straight meant that he was unfit to deal with a prisoner in custody, which was the purpose of him being at the police station.”
The panel was informed that Mr Brierley’s colleagues had grown sufficiently worried about his condition that they’d organised a welfare visit to his residence later that night.
Upon arriving at his residence around 12.20am, officers “found him lying in his bed in a pair of boxer shorts, with the duvet pulled off him” and noted he “looked very disoriented and was staring at the ceiling in a glazed manner,” according to the ruling.
Mr Brierley assured the officers he was fine but didn’t question their presence or make any effort to cover himself or sit upright in bed, the panel was informed.
Commander Lilburn stated: “I found that the former officer’s actions were intentional, deliberate, and planned. He chose to go to the Taproom and consume alcohol when he was on duty.
“Being intoxicated whilst on duty in a police station and in a custody suite, with the attendant risks, is especially dangerous,” the commander added.
The panel determined Mr Brierley’s behaviour constituted gross misconduct and had he not already resigned, he would have been sacked.
