02/10/06 - Detective sacked after disciplinary hearing
By Essex Evening Echo
A detective who was cleared by a court of passing on sensitive information to suspected drug dealers has been sacked by Essex Police.
Nicholas Thompson, 48, served as a detective constable in Rayleigh's major investigation team, which specifically deals with serious crimes such as murder, rape, and abduction.
He stood trial for two offences of unlawful disclosure of police information, at Southwark Crown Court in January, 2005.
At the time he was charged under the Official Secrets Act, accused of disclosing details from confidential police intelligence records to a car dealer suspected of heading an ecstasy ring.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court found him not guilty of all charges, after he explained the car dealer was an unofficial police informant.
Mr Thompson, of Glebelands, Benfleet, was also interviewed by officers from Essex Police's Professional Standards Department last October and told he would face a disciplinary hearing, starting in late June this year.
That hearing was repeatedly delayed until earlier this month when Mr Thompson and his solicitor reported to the force's headquarters in Chelmsford.
A police spokesman said Mr Thompson had to answer two disciplinary charges.
Following the hearing he was "required to resign" on one of the charges and "dismissed" on the other.
The spokesman said: "We will not comment further on these matters."
