Stanley Kennett Met Police officer sacked for running coffee business
PC stanley kennett met police has been dismissed for gross misconduct after applying in April 2024 to run The Coffee Cycle and then continuing to operate the venture while receiving full pay from the force, a misconduct hearing found.
Stanley Kennett Met Police: declined application and continued operation
PC Stanley Kennett, 31, applied in April 2024 to run The Coffee Cycle but his application was declined; the tribunal heard he continued to engage in and operate the unauthorised business while on full pay, and that confirmation of that continued involvement was recorded in September 2025. Commander Andy Brittain described the venture as more than volunteering: it was incorporated, supported by a director's loan and employed staff, and Kennett actively promoted the business on social media. The panel said the operation was "sophisticated" and that Kennett appeared heavily involved at all points.
The Coffee Cycle and where it operated
The Coffee Cycle is based in a bike shop in Storrington, West Sussex, and serves coffee, cake and pastries and provides catering for events, material on the business's website and social media shows. The hearing heard those specifics as part of the picture of a growing enterprise run from that West Sussex location.
Two dismissals tied to outside businesses
The Met dismissed two officers for running businesses while receiving pay within a week, and one of those earlier dismissals named firearms Sergeant Matt Skelt. Last week Sgt Matt Skelt was sacked for gross misconduct after working on and promoting a mobile pizza service while on long-term sick leave.
Former detective would have been sacked over drunken conduct
At the same tribunal, the panel heard that former Detective Constable Sean Brierley went to 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 shown at the hearing captured him ordering three glasses of white wine over two hours, and CCTV showed him "unsteady on his feet", "staggering" and "off balance" when he returned to the station later that evening. The panel heard on 12 February that a custody sergeant said Brierley "smelt drunk" and other staff reported his speech was "slurred"; the ruling found he would have been sacked if he had not already left the force.
What happens next
Tribunal rulings and dismissals have been issued in these cases, with Kennett's continued operation confirmed in September 2025 and the panel hearing Brierley's conduct on 12 February; it is unclear in the provided context whether any further disciplinary steps or appeals are scheduled.
