‘Naughty Officer’ Police Officer Met Was Seriously Misconduct, Panel Says

A policewoman who called herself ‘Officer Naughty’ committed gross misconduct by lying about her investigation of Wayne Couzens over two flashing incidents, a disciplinary committee found today.

PC Samantha Lee, 29, was found for failing to make ‘proper investigative inquiries’ into two incidents when Couzens exposed himself to female members of staff at a McDonald’s restaurant in Swanley, Kent on February 14 and 27, 2021.

Ms Lee visited the restaurant on March 3 and interviewed manager Sam Taylor, hours before Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by the Met’s firearms officer.

Lee was also found to have lied about her actions when asked about the interview later, saying she believed the CCTV at the restaurant had been automatically removed so there would be no footage of him. Couzens or offence.

Lee outside Palestra House in Southwark, south London, during the disciplinary hearing earlier this month

Lee, pictured in uniform, has come under fire for the way she handled a flashing allegation against Wayne Couzens

Lee had told the misconduct hearing that she didn’t know she was in charge of the case and went on leave after the visit, assuming someone else would check further “in a few days. “.

She told the hearing she was ‘shocked’ after Ms Everard’s murder to learn that she had a responsibility to investigate Couzens’ previous offences.

And she denied being lazy after being accused of carrying out “a dismal and rushed investigation”, failing to acquire CCTV and only spending 15 minutes at the restaurant.

But panel chairman Darren Snow concluded that her dishonesty amounted to gross misconduct and that if Lee had still been a serving officer, she would have been fired from the force.

In his testimony, Mr Taylor said he showed Ms Lee CCTV footage and told her it could be downloaded to a USB drive.

He also said he explained to her that Couzens’ license plate could be seen in CCTV footage of the second incident.

For her part, Ms Lee denied that was the case, saying he told her there was no CCTV.

Lee left the force and created an OnlyFans site under the name Officer Naughty

In March this year, Couzens was sentenced to 19 months in prison after admitting three counts of indecent assault

Couzens was a serving Met officer when he kidnapped and murdered Sarah Everard

Mr. Snow, reading the panel’s findings, concluded that Mr. Taylor was a “credible” witness.

“We find Sam Taylor to be a credible witness and his testimony was clear.”

He added: “We find it inconceivable that he did not show her the CCTV evidence.”

Instead, the panel concluded that Ms Lee had been driven into dishonesty by the “pressure” of the investigation.

“We have some understanding of this situation, a relatively simple exposure has become a huge pressure problem,” he said.

In her testimony, Ms Lee admitted to making mistakes but said nothing she could have done ‘would have changed the tragic outcome’ of what happened to Sarah Everard later that day.

“I accept that I could have done more around CCTV and evidence gathering, those were mistakes on my part and I accept that,” she said.

“And although I thought about it over and over again, I don’t believe that anything I could have done would have changed the tragic outcome of what happened later that day.”

CCTV shows Couzens making two trips to McDonald’s Drive-thru in Swanley, Kent

Couzens places an order at McDonald’s on his way home from a 12-hour shift with the Met

As Couzens collected his food and drink, he exposed himself to restaurant staff members

The McDonald’s drive-thru in Swanley, Kent, where Couzens flashed staff in February 2021

In March this year, Couzens was sentenced to 19 months in prison after admitting three counts of indecent assault.

He was already serving his sentence behind bars for kidnapping Ms Everard on her way home through Clapham, south London, on March 3, 2021, and then murdered her.

The third incident of indecent exposure relates to when Couzens exposed himself to a female cyclist on a Kent country road in November 2020.

In March this year, Couzens was sentenced to 19 months in prison after admitting to three counts of indecent assault.

He was already serving life in prison for kidnapping Ms Everard on her way home through Clapham, south London, on March 3, 2021, and then murdered her.

The third incident of indecent exposure relates to when Couzens exposed himself to a female cyclist on a Kent country road in November 2020.