Cambridgeshire PC admits driving wife home from Wetherspoons before going for kebab while on-duty

A police officer drove his wife home in a patrol car while on duty and then went to get a kebab, a misconduct panel heard in Peterborough yesterday.
PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry HarrisPC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris
PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris

PC Richard Musgrave, 52, admitted lying to his boss about driving Linda Musgrave, 59, back home and going for a snack in the early hours of the morning.

The officer had claimed he had fallen asleep in his car with his earpiece out at about 3am on July 31, 2016, when he was actually driving his wife, the panel heard.

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He is also accused of meeting her and her friends in a Wetherspoons pub in March, Cambs, the following evening.

PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry HarrisPC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris
PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris

The officer from March, Cambs, denies his actions amount to gross misconduct but admitted misconduct under honesty and integrity.

Mr Musgrave said in a statement that he lied to his manager Sergeant Rob Savill about taking his wife home because he felt "embarassed,' the panel sitting in Peterborough, Cambs., heard.

Sgt Savill told the hearing that officers tracked Musgrave down to an industrial estate using a 'mapping tool' after he went missing from March police station at about 2.50am.

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The sergeant said he could not contact Mr Musgrave through his mobile or radio and sent officers to the estate because "there was enough concern there, that something May have happened, at the time of the morning.. to make sure he was okay."

PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry HarrisPC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris
PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris

The sergeant had tracked his vehicle to the estate using a police mapping tool but the officer resumed radio contact and returned to the station shortly afterwards, the panel heard.

Speaking of a meeting with PC Musgrave on August 9, Sgt Savill said: "He told me that he had gone to the industrial estate to write a statement and had fallen asleep there."

The sergeant said he challenged Mr Musgrave after he said he had seen his police slate left on a desk at the station.

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"Richard then told me that that in truth he had gone to pick up his wife, he then told me that he had gone inside to have something to eat not realising his ear piece had fallen out," he said.

PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry HarrisPC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris
PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris

The panel heard that PC Musgrave failed to intervene when his wife and two friends become embroiled in ill-tempered row with pub staff.

In the evening after he had picked up his wife in his a patrol car, Mrs Musgrave and her friend went drinking in The Hippodrome Wetherspoon's pub in March, Cambs.

The trio were said to have verbally abused staff at the Hippodrome who they had accused of stealing £20 left on the bar.

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PC Musgrave arrived in uniform to see his wife, the panel heard.

PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry HarrisPC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris
PC Musgrave (right) arrives at the misconduct hearing in Peterborough. Photo: Terry Harris

CCTV footage shows him speaking to bar staff in uniform shortly after midnight.

Bar manager Kayleigh May said PC Musgrave arrived shortly after Mrs Musgrave told her that her husband was a police officer.

Miss May said staff had not called the officer and the PC spoke to Mrs Musgrave and a man and woman she was drinking with outside the bar.

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The panel was told the group then re-entered the bar and PC Musgrave heard his wife repeatedly shouting at staff, "you are f**king lying", "b**ches" and "you racist c**t".

She said Mrs Musgrave was "hanging off" the officer's arm and added: "The whole time they were in close contact with each other.

"There was no control of what was going on at all."

Miss May added a man with Mrs Musgrave who can only be named as Mr B then suddenly got in front of the officer and his wife and shouted at her, " f**k off, suck my d**k".

Colin Banham, representing PC Musgrave, said no crime was reported to him when he spoke to bar staff before leaving the pub.

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Miss May denied that she and her colleagues were "smiling" at Mrs Musgrave and her friends shouting at them.

The misconduct hearing was adjourned until today, Thursday January 4, when PC Musgrave is expected to give evidence.