Cleveland Police detective allegedly arranges pay off for Middlesbrough pub landlord who was burgled by relative

Detective Constable (DC) Mark Casey of Cleveland Police is accused of “meddling” in a police investigation after a relation of his was involved in the theft of four bottles of spirits from the Miners Arms, in Eston, Middlesbrough on October 10 last year.

After learning that his relative was a suspect in the burglary, which saw spirits taken of a retail value of around £250 , DC Casey is alleged to have watched CCTV footage and read victim impact statements, as well as having an “unhealthy interest in the job” throughout the day.

A misconduct hearing held at Cleveland Police’s headquarters in Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough heard that DC Casey’s relative sent a message via Facebook to the wife of the pub’s landlord asking why the police had got involved, which made the landlord “irate” that the information had been leaked.

Having noted the landlord “just wanted the money”, DC Casey then allegedly arranged for the suspects to pay the landlord, and the criminal proceedings were subsequently dropped.

Stephen Morley, representing the force, said DC Casey should have had “nothing more to do” with the case once he knew a relative was a suspect:

“He read the computer evidence, the written evidence and watched the CCTV – he shouldn’t have done any of those things.

“He should not have been within a mile of this case.

“The public must be able to have confidence that when a police officer takes a telephone call of a report of a crime, it is dealt with professionally.

“That confidence has been trashed by DC Casey – any member of the public will be outraged by this.

“He has let himself down and this organisation down by acting the way he did.”

During questioning from barrister Steven Evans, for DC Casey, yesterday, Sgt Lee Bythway, who was involved in the case, said he read DC Casey’s actions as those of a “concerned relative” and he saw “nothing sinister”.

The hearing continues.