Stanley Kennett Met Police officer sacked after running The Coffee Cycle while on full pay
PC Stanley Kennett Met Police has been dismissed for gross misconduct after a tribunal found he ran an unauthorised coffee business while receiving full pay. The ruling makes clear the business was an incorporated, expanding operation with staff and promotional activity, and the decision is part of a cluster of dismissals over officers operating side businesses while on force pay.
Stanley Kennett Met Police: application, rejection and continued operation
PC Stanley Kennett, 31, applied in April 2024 to run The Coffee Cycle but the application was declined. Despite that refusal, it was confirmed in September 2025 that Kennett continued to engage in and operate this unauthorised business interest while receiving full pay from the force, the ruling said.
The Coffee Cycle: structure, location and activities
The Coffee Cycle is based in a bike shop in Storrington, West Sussex, and serves coffee, cake and pastries while also providing catering for events, details shared on the business's website and social media show. The tribunal found the venture was not a casual volunteering arrangement but an active commercial enterprise.
Cdr Andy Brittain's findings on the enterprise
Cdr Andy Brittain described the venture as more than voluntary work: it was a full-blown and expanding business supported by incorporation, the granting of a director's loan and the employment of staff. The ruling also notes PC Kennett was actively engaged in promoting the business on social media; the panel characterised it as a sophisticated operation with Kennett heavily involved at all points.
Two dismissals within a week and the broader disciplinary picture
The Met has dismissed two officers for running businesses whilst being paid within a week. Last week, firearms Sgt Matt Skelt was sacked for gross misconduct after working on and promoting a mobile pizza service while on long term sick leave. The timing and nature of these cases have placed the force's management of external business activity and sick-leave obligations under scrutiny in internal disciplinary proceedings.
Parallel misconduct hearing: the Sean Brierley tribunal
On the same day another tribunal heard former Det Con Sean Brierley would have been sacked if he had not already left the force, after he was found to be so intoxicated that he could not walk straight while on duty. The hearing heard that on the evening of 2 July 2025 Brierley went to Gravity Well Taproom after being told a suspect at Leyton police station was not yet available to be interviewed. Video footage from the east London bar showed him ordering three glasses of white wine over two hours.
CCTV then showed Brierley 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 smelt of alcohol and other staff reported his speech was slurred, the ruling said. The tribunal concluded that, had he remained with the force, dismissal would have been the outcome.
Implications and next steps
The Kennett ruling emphasises the disciplinary risks for officers who fail to disclose or who continue unauthorised business activity while on paid duty or paid leave. The combination of confirmed continued operation while on full pay, the corporate and financial structures behind The Coffee Cycle, and active promotion on social media formed the basis for the gross misconduct finding in Kennett's case. The recent cluster of dismissals demonstrates the force's disciplinary response to similar conduct, while other tribunal outcomes in this period have addressed separate misconduct involving intoxication while on duty.
