A police officer filmed herself carrying out a sex act in the toilets of a police station while in her uniform, a misconduct hearing has been told. Clare Ogden was wearing her uniform when she performed the solo sex act at Redcar Police Station.
She then sent the video, taken on her mobile phone, to her partner. The footage was later found when her phone was checked as part of a separate investigation.
The 40-year-old accepts allegations that she recorded sensitive information on her personal mobile phone and sent it to a third party but denies that this equates to gross misconduct. She resigned from Cleveland Police in June after almost 17 years service
On Wednesday she told the hearing those 'seven seconds' would be something she would regret for the rest of her life, reports Teesside Live. The tribunal was told how a search of the former officer's personal mobile phone found 72 photographs and five videos of policing information. The force says this breaches confidentiality.
These images included pictures of evidence bags, which she says were to make her job easier. There were also images of police screens which she sent to a third party because she found them funny.
Among these was a picture of a Moon Pig card which appears to have been sent following the breakdown of a relationship where the sender was very upset. Mark Ley-Morgan, for the force, said: "A police officer is posting it around to at least one person saying look at this, isn't this funny. It's disgraceful in my respectful submissions."
Another picture, which was sent by Ms Ogden to the same unknown officer, included the personal details of a registered sex offender and two photos - one of him in his normal appearance and the other of him wearing a wig. "It goes without saying if personal details... were to fall into the wrong hands the potential for harm is clearly there".
He told the panel members that the data breach created a serious risk of vigilantism. Of 10 images she was interviewed about, Ms Ogden told officers she sent five because they were "funny". She says she sent them to another officer but has not divulged who that officer was.
"She shouldn't be distributing it, whether a police officer or not, to anybody else," said Mr Ley-Morgan. "She seeks to downplay the seriousness of this matter. She says it has never gone outside of the police family. That completely misses the point."
The hearing was told out of the 72 photographs taken, 34 were categorised as 'red' as they include personalised identification, contact details date of birth and other details which could lead to harm. "I would hope that as a panel you would agree that a reasonable member of the public would be justifiably very disappointed to hear that police officers are taking photographs of things that have nothing do with them and forwarding them on to someone else because it's funny," he added.
Ms Ogden, who is represented by Aisling Byrne, accepts the content of the allegations but says it amounts to misconduct rather than gross. The second allegation, that she engaged in sexualised behaviour whilst on police premises, she admits amounts to gross misconduct although of three videos referred to, she denies that two are sexual in nature.
She accepts however that one video shows her performing a sex act on herself, taken while she was on duty, albeit on a break, and on police premises - in the toilets. About the allegations, she told the panel: "I don't think I have experienced embarrassment and shame like it.
"I just wish I hadn't done it. It was a five-to-seven-second moment of my life that I will regret for the rest of it."
The officer joined the force in 2004 and has received a number of commendations during her career. Giving evidence during the hearing held at the Riverside Stadium, Ms Ogden said on joining the force: "I was really proud, it seemed like the natural career following in the footsteps of my parents as it were.
"I loved it for the most part... I loved being part of a team, I loved making a difference to people's lives. I was really proud, a hand on heart moment to put on my uniform every day."
She added: "I felt somewhat pressured to resign from the force, it's not something I wanted to do and not a decision I took lightly. I have forged a new career one I'm equally proud of. I miss my job as a police officer and I'm sad I had to leave it.
"I'm devastated if I could turn back time and change my actions I would. I don't think I can put into words how sorry I am. I've lay awake at night for 20 months thinking I should have done this, I should have done that."
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