Disgraced cop who had sex with domestic abuse victim loses part of his pension

A corrupt police officer who abused his position to have sex with a domestic abuse victim and send an explicit image to another victim of crime has had his pension docked.

Darren Coathup was jailed for two years in February 2023 after he admitted misconduct in connection with the two women. Now Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw has punished the former East Lancs response officer further, by deducting 65 per cent of his pension for five years when he reaches pension age.

In 2021, Coathup visited a woman at her home after reports of a domestic incident. She described exchanging messages with him and those messages quickly became flirtatious and sexualised. The victim described exchanging sexually explicit images with Coathup and later had sex with him. Upon arrest, Coathup's mobile phones were seized and examined, LancsLive reports.

READ NEXT: Emergency services close road as woman hurt in three-car smash at busy junction

This led to the identification of a second victim. Further enquiries uncovered Darren Coathup had met the second 'vulnerable' victim when she had reported a domestic abuse incident. The second victim said Coathup sent her flirtatious and sexualised messages and a sexual image of himself.

In December 2022, Coathup, from Bamber Bridge, admitted two counts of being a holder of a public office who wilfully neglected to perform his duty/wilfully misconducted himself. Now, following discussions with legal experts and the Anti Corruption Unit, Mr Grunshaw has ordered the officer to forfeit a share of his pension.

He said: "As Commissioner I will continue to support the Constabulary on policing standards and the processes they have in place to spot the signs of anyone abusing their position, remove