Stanley Kennett Met Police — stanley kennett met police sacked for running coffee business
PC stanley kennett met police was dismissed for gross misconduct after a tribunal found he continued to operate The Coffee Cycle while suspended and receiving full pay. The ruling, and parallel disciplinary cases involving other officers, set out dates, company records and witness accounts that led to the sacking.
Hearing found PC Stanley Kennett, 31, breached standards and was dismissed
PC Stanley Kennett, 31, was found to have breached police standards of professional behaviour amounting to gross misconduct at a misconduct hearing on 12 February and was dismissed without notice. The panel concluded Kennett "continued to engage in and operate this unauthorised business interest" while receiving full pay from the force, and he has been placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
The hearing record shows Kennett admitted his actions but accepted that they amounted to misconduct only. The ruling describes the conduct as sufficiently serious to merit summary dismissal.
The Coffee Cycle: bike shop base in Storrington, West Sussex and company details
The Coffee Cycle operates from a bike shop in Storrington, West Sussex, serving coffee, cake and pastries and providing catering for events, as shown on the business's website and social media. Kennett was listed as a director on Companies House when The Coffee Cycle was incorporated on 1 April 2025.
Commander Andy Brittain said the venture was "not simply a volunteering opportunity, this was a full-blown and expanding business supported by incorporation of that business, the granting of a director's loan and employment of staff. " The ruling also notes Kennett had been actively engaged on social media promoting the business: "This was a sophisticated operation, and PC Kennett appears heavily involved at all points. "
Sequence of suspension, applications and the force's discovery
Kennett had been suspended from duty on full pay since October 2023. He applied to run The Coffee Cycle in April 2024 and was denied the opportunity to register the business interest while suspended on 23 April 2024, but the force discovered in September 2025 that he had nevertheless continued to operate the unauthorised business while receiving full pay.
The tribunal record highlights the incorporation on 1 April 2025 and the continued operation despite the earlier refusal to register the business interest.
Two officers dismissed within a week and the separate intoxication case
The Met dismissed two officers for running businesses whilst being paid within a week. Firearms Sergeant Matt Skelt was sacked last week after he worked and promoted a mobile pizza service while on long-term sick leave; his dismissal was for gross misconduct.
At a separate tribunal panel it was heard that former Detective Constable Sean Brierley would have been sacked if he had not already left the force after he was found to be, in the panel's words, "so intoxicated that he could not walk straight" while on duty. The panel heard Brierley went to the Gravity Well Taproom on the evening of 2 July 2025 after being told a suspect at Leyton police station was not yet available to be interviewed.
Video footage from the east London bar showed Brierley ordering three glasses of white wine over two hours. CCTV showed him "unsteady on his feet", "staggering" and "off balance" when he returned to the police station later that evening, the panel heard on 12 February. A custody sergeant gave evidence that Brierley had "smelt drunk" and other staff reported his speech had been "slurred. "
Command view on the impact and submissions about capacity
Commander Andy Brittain stressed the seriousness of running a business while suspended and on full pay, saying it "brings policing and the MPS in particular into disrepute" and that "members of the public would not expect serving police officers to act in this way. " Brittain added that the business's scale and structure undermined attempts made on Kennett's behalf to argue he lacked capacity to understand the consequences of his actions.
The commander described the operation's incorporation, director's loan and employment of staff as indicators that the venture went beyond volunteering and that Kennett was heavily involved at every point.
