Stanley Kennett Met Police sacking highlights officers running businesses while on full pay and strains on discipline

Who feels the impact first are colleagues and the disciplinary system: the stanley kennett met police case shows how internal rules and pay arrangements can collide with outside commercial activity. PC Stanley Kennett, 31, applied in April 2024 to run The Coffee Cycle but was declined; the ruling later confirmed he continued to operate the venture while receiving full pay and has now been dismissed for gross misconduct.

Stanley Kennett Met Police: immediate effects on colleagues and internal oversight

Here’s the part that matters: the Met dismissed two officers for running businesses while being paid within a week, creating an acute personnel and reputational issue inside the force. The action against PC Kennett immediately follows a separate recent sacking and sits alongside other disciplinary headlines, signalling concentrated scrutiny of outside work by serving officers.

How the misconduct finding unfolded

At a misconduct hearing, it was outlined that Kennett applied in April 2024 to run The Coffee Cycle but, after the application was declined, continued to engage in and operate the unauthorised business interest. In September 2025 the ruling confirmed Kennett continued that activity while on full pay from the force and concluded his conduct amounted to gross misconduct, resulting in dismissal.

Senior command described the venture as extending beyond volunteering: it was treated as an expanding commercial enterprise with formal steps taken to incorporate the business, the provision of a director's loan and employment of staff. Kennett was noted to have promoted the business on social media and to have been heavily involved in its running.

Parallel disciplinary cases and other recent dismissals

The tribunal on the same day heard a separate matter involving former Detective Constable Sean Brierley. It was presented that on the evening of 2 July 2025 Brierley went to the Gravity Well Taproom after being told a suspect at Leyton police station was not yet available for interview. Video footage from the east London bar showed him ordering three glasses of white wine over two hours.

CCTV footage captured Brierley returning to the station later that evening and appearing unsteady on his feet, staggering and off balance, a point the panel heard on 12 February (year unclear in the provided context). A custody sergeant gave evidence he smelt drunk and other staff reported his speech was slurred. The panel concluded he would have been dismissed had he not already left the force, after being found so intoxicated that he could not walk straight while on duty.

Separately, last week firearms Sergeant Matt Skelt, who worked and promoted a mobile pizza service while on long-term sick leave, was sacked for gross misconduct. Other recent headlines around dismissals include an officer fired for running a pizza company on sick leave, an officer sacked after an assault on a neighbour, and a Met PC removed for not disclosing a firearms probe.

The Coffee Cycle: scope and base of operations

The Coffee Cycle is based in a bike shop in Storrington, West Sussex. The business's website and social media describe it as serving coffee, cake and pastries and providing catering for events. Command characterised the venture as a sophisticated operation, not a casual volunteering role, given its incorporation, loan arrangements and employment of staff.

Key dates summarised and near-term signals

• April 2024 — Kennett applied to run The Coffee Cycle.
• 2 July 2025 — Brierley visited Gravity Well Taproom after a delay at Leyton police station and ordered three glasses of white wine over two hours.
• September 2025 — ruling confirmed Kennett continued to engage with the unauthorised business while receiving full pay.
• 12 February (year unclear in the provided context) — the panel heard CCTV and witness evidence about Brierley’s condition on return to the station.
• Last week — firearms Sgt Matt Skelt was dismissed for promoting a mobile pizza service while on long-term sick leave.

One forward signal that would clarify the wider picture is any further internal rulings or formal appeals that change or confirm these sanctions.

It’s easy to overlook, but the sequence of application, refusal, continued activity while on full pay and the eventual dismissal underscores how timing and pay status figure centrally in disciplinary outcomes. The stanley kennett met police matter is one of several recent cases testing how outside work is managed for serving officers.

Minor detail note: the panel’s hearing date of 12 February appears in the ruling text without an attached year, which is unclear in the provided context.