A former South Wales Police officer has been found to have committed gross misconduct after cocaine was discovered inside her Mercedes following a crash.
Elinor Brooks-Griffiths was off duty when her car collided with bollards on a central reservation before she left the scene.
Officers later examined the abandoned vehicle and found two bags of cocaine, along with a police radio battery and torch.
Brooks-Griffiths subsequently pleaded guilty at Newport Magistrates’ Court to possessing cocaine and failing to stop and report a collision.
She received six penalty points and was fined £435.
Misconduct hearing continued after resignation
Brooks-Griffiths resigned shortly before a police misconduct hearing, but the proceedings continued.
The panel found the allegations amounted to gross misconduct.
Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan concluded that she would have been dismissed had she still been serving.
The reported outcome also stated that she would be placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing her from returning to policing in roles covered by the list.
No conviction for drug-driving
The criminal convictions related to possession of cocaine and failing to stop and report the collision.
They do not establish that Brooks-Griffiths was driving under the influence of cocaine.
The misconduct case centred on conduct considered incompatible with the standards expected of a serving police officer, including possession of an illegal drug and leaving the scene of a collision.
