An 'exemplary' detective caught drink driving whilst on duty and lying to her colleagues to try and dodge a breathalyser test has been found guilty of gross misconduct.
Detective Constable Andrea Murphy-King, 48, had just started her 8am shift when she left the police station 'numerous' times to down the spirit, which she kept in the footwell of her parked Mini car.
She then got behind the wheel and drove off but was spotted swerving and driving erratically on the A689 near Hartlepool, County Durham, by traffic cop colleagues soon afterwards.
When they pulled her over, the 'specialist' officer, who has 24 years' previously unblemished service with Cleveland police, denied she had been drinking and claimed she had momentarily lost control after glancing at her mobile phone.
The officers told Ms Murphy-King that she would be reported for the offence, but allowed her to continue on her way without breathalysing her.
However, they remained suspicious and decided to follow her. They pulled her over a second time after watching her veer across the dual carriageway again, shortly after joining the A19.
This time they performed a roadside breath test which revealed she had 89 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - more than double the legal limit of 35mg.
She was arrested and taken to Peterlee police station where she admitted she had been drinking and was charged.
Detective Constable Andrea Murphy-King, 48, had just started her 8am shift when she left the police station 'numerous' times to down the spirit. (File image of Cleveland Police station where Ms Murphy-King worked
Ms Murphy-King appeared before magistrates in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, the following day where she admitted drink driving and was banned for 17 months. She was also ordered to pay a £750 fine and a £300 victim surcharge.
At a police misconduct hearing today Ms Murphy-King admitted her behaviour was 'disgraceful' but claimed she could remember little of the incident, which was an 'absolute blur.'
She denied it amounted to gross misconduct or that she should be sacked.
Oliver Thorne, for Cleveland Police, told the hearing: 'She was driving in a way that was criminal and a clear danger to other road users.
'She had reported as fit for duty that morning and when stopped she told officers she had not been drinking and had driven in such a way because she had looked at a hand-held mobile phone.
'Right thinking members of the public would be extremely concerned about the officer's conduct and this would serve to undermine the public's confidence in policing.'
The hearing, at Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium, was told Ms Murphy-King had started work at 8am on November 24 last year, but soon afterwards received an upsetting phone call from a distressed relative.
The detectivewas spotted swerving and driving erratically on the A689 (pictured) near Hartlepool, County Durham, by traffic cop colleagues soon afterwards
The hearing took place at Middlesbrough FC's Riverside Stadium (pictured)
She left her desk and went outside to her car to calm down, but started drinking the gin, which she had brought on her way to work to drink after her shift finished.
'Myself and my husband are not very big drinkers,' she said. 'I got the bottle of gin so that we could have a glass later and discuss his first day in a new role he'd been given.
'I nipped before work and bought my lunch and the bottle of gin, which was in the footwell of my car.
'Quite soon after I got to work I received a distressing phone call from a member of my family who was crying to me down the phone.
'I went and sat in my car in an attempt to calm myself down.'
However, she admitted that, after she started drinking the gin, she returned more than once for more as the morning wore on.
She continued: 'Everything just became an absolute blur, I cannot remember one minute from the next. The next thing I knew there were flashing lights behind me, I don't remember the conversation I had with the officer.'
Chief Constable Mark Webster, who chaired the hearing, asked Ms Murphy King: 'Do you recognise that there was potential for serious harm?'
She replied: 'I do. It was disgraceful.'
But she added: 'I was not in control of my own decision making, it felt like someone else was making those decisions. It was not what I stand for, it is not who I am.'
The hearing was told Ms Murphy-King was suffering from undisclosed medical conditions at the time which contributed to her offending.
Paul Crowley, of the Police Federation, representing the officer, said she was in a 'high pressure specialist role' within Cleveland CID.
He said: 'This is a one-off aberration in an otherwise exemplary career. She has words of praise and support from officers of all ranks and all levels of service and even members of the public.
'There is no evidence at all of alcohol dependency or that alcohol has affected her ability to carry out a high pressure specialist role.
'She was going through a period of personal and medical crisis at the time and this type of behaviour will never be repeated.'
He said a report from a doctor concluded that her medical and personal issues were solely responsible for the incidents that occurred that day.
After considering the evidence Mr Webster found that Ms Murphy-King guilty of gross misconduct.
She was sacked without notice and barred from the College of Policing register.
Mr Webster said it was 'one of the saddest cases' he had been involved with.
After announcing the decision, he told Ms Murphy- King: 'Thank you for 24 years of service with Cleveland Police.'
