Met Police officer cleared of 'helping uninsured flirt'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28675205

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A police officer accused of turning a blind eye to an uninsured Porsche driver after he flirted with her with suggestive texts, has been cleared of perverting the course of justice.

Richard Myerson swapped email addresses and numbers with Pc Saheena Tegally, of London Colney, Hertfordshire, after she pulled him over for an insurance check.

Ms Tegally, 26, told jurors her exchanges with him were just "banter".

A jury at London's Wood Green Crown Court found Ms Tegally not guilty.

The court was told Mr Myerson and Ms Tegally sent texts and emails to each other, including one in which Mr Myerson suggested the Metropolitan Police officer should sit at her desk in her underwear after she complained about the heat, the jury was told.

Unanimous verdict

In another message, the court heard the West Hampstead-based officer told Mr Myerson: "It's really hot. I'm in my bikini catching the sun."

Cross-examining Ms Tegally, prosecutor David Markham read a text she later sent to a friend, saying she had "seized a Porsche off a 25-year-old, he is minted and has asked to take me out".

Mr Markham asked: "He turned your head a little bit, didn't he?"

Ms Tegally replied: "It was flattering, yes it was. But that doesn't for one minute mean I was going to meet up with him."

Prosecutors claimed Tegally falsely told other officers Mr Myerson had insurance when he was stopped, as he was flirting with her and asked her out on a date.

But she denied perverting the course of justice, telling court she never had any intention of meeting him on a date.

The jury of eight women and four men unanimously found Ms Tegally not guilty of perverting the course of justice, less than two hours after they retired.

On hearing the jury's verdict, Ms Tegally broke down in tears in the dock and hugged members of her family after leaving the courtroom.