A British policeman who claimed that he was unable to work due to his bad back has been convicted of gross misconduct after posting rides he did in Majorca on Strava.
Nicholas Corbett, an officer based at Thames Valley Police headquarters, claimed that he had back problems following a car accident which resulted in him not being able to ride a bike or take flights lasting more than 90 minutes.
However, investigators discovered that he was taking part in cycles in Majorca after uploading the rides to Strava. A disciplinary hearing panel convicted Corbett of gross misconduct by breaching rules relating to honesty and integrity.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police told The Daily Mail that the breaches were in connection with statements made by Corbett in evidence to a Police Medical Appeals Board.
“He claimed he had injured his back during a road traffic collision in 2014 which limited his ability to ride a bicycle. He also claimed he was unable to board flights which were longer than 90 minutes,” said the spokesman.
“On 13 October last year Mr Corbett was meant to be on police duty but was texted by his inspector inquiring whether he was going to attend work but responded by referring to his back problem.
“However, it was discovered that Mr Corbett was on holiday in Majorca, Spain, during which he was found to be cycling. After the holiday, Mr Corbett then deleted his Strava account, which is an app to track exercise.”
“The panel concluded that Corbett would have been dismissed had he still been a serving officer and TVP will submit his details to be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.”
