A BARROW cop is facing the sack after a misconduct hearing panel ruled he did have sex with a woman on numerous different occasions while on duty.

PC Matt Simpson admitted visiting the woman for late night liaisons while the pair were involved in a “casual relationship” between 2014 and 2016 after meeting online.

PC Simpson, 29, insisted sexual encounters occurred around 15 times after shifts had finished.

But the woman told a misconduct hearing in Penrith earlier this week there were “more than 20” visits by the officer - an aspiring detective - while he should have been at work. He arrived, she said, wearing a hi-viz yellow jacket and equipped with a handcuffs, a baton and, occasionally, a body camera, spray and Taser device.

“It wasn’t a relationship everybody knew about. It was between me and him,” the female - known as Miss X - said while giving evidence.

“He came around when he was on duty. He brought the police vehicle. He would turn his radio on loud when we were having sex in case his collar number got called out. He never answered it because it was never his name or collar number. It was just in case.”

“Sometimes he didn’t even take his pants off properly in case he had to rush off,” stated the woman, who added: “ I’ve got no reason to lie. I’ve got no reason to want to get him into trouble.”

PC Simpson, an officer with six years’ service who had initially joined Cumbria police initially as a special constable in 2012, appeared before the three-strong disciplinary panel to face allegations he breached the force’s standards of professional behaviour.

Members of the panel - led by legally qualified chairman Nicholas Walker and comprising a senior officer and an independent lay person - were asked to determine, on the balance of probability - whether breaches occurred after hearing evidence and considering a wealth of material.

This afternoon (WED), the panel concluded it had found gross misconduct both in relation to PC Simpson’s regular sexual contact with Miss X on duty, and searches he made for her on a police computer systems, in October, 2015, due to being “personally curious”.

“The positive character attributes of PC Simpson that we have observed in this hearing and that have been described in his testimonials are not such as to outweigh the panel’s confidence in Miss X as a truth teller,” concluded Mr Walker.

“She had no reason to lie and we find that she did not. Leaving work on so many occasions is a serious dereliction of PC Simpson’s duties as an officer. He was paid to work and serve his community, not to do what he did with Miss X.

“The panel is satisfied that his conduct has discredited the police service, such that dismissal might be justified. The panel finds gross misconduct.”

The panel found misconduct only in relation to police material retained on his phone and at a home address, and work images sent to his partner.

It was not possible, the panel concluded, to determine whether PC Simpson viewed or ought to have known about “utterly deplorable and completely offensive” extreme porn videos - sent through a WhatsApp group - which were found on his phone.

A formal decision on PC Simpson’s future is to be taken tomorrow (THURS). Its options are the issuing of management advice, a written warning, final written warning or dismissal without notice.

It will consider a response from Cumbria’s deputy chief constable, Mark Webster, and mitigation from the PC’s lawyer, Ben Summers.

Addressing the panel today, Mr Summers said: “Taking the good with the bad, we urge the panel to step back from the brink and not dismiss.”