Met officer sacked for running coffee business — Stanley Kennett Met Police
PC Stanley Kennett, 31, has been dismissed for gross misconduct after running The Coffee Cycle while receiving full pay; the decision in the stanley kennett met police case comes as the Met has dismissed two officers for running businesses whilst being paid within a week.
Stanley Kennett Met Police: application declined but business continued
At a misconduct hearing it was heard that PC Stanley Kennett applied to run The Coffee Cycle in April 2024 but, despite being declined, "continued to engage in and operate this unauthorised business interest, " the panel was told; the ruling later confirmed that in September 2025 Kennett "continued to engage in and operate this unauthorised business interest" whilst receiving full pay from the force.
What Cdr Andy Brittain said about the venture
Cdr Andy Brittain described The Coffee Cycle as more than volunteering: "This 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. " He added that "PC Kennett is also noted to have been actively engaged on social media promoting that business" and that "This was a sophisticated operation, and PC Kennett appears heavily involved at all points. "
The Coffee Cycle’s operation in West Sussex
The Coffee Cycle business is based in a bike shop in Storrington, West Sussex and serves coffee, cake and pastries and provides catering for events; the business posts that information on its website and social media, the hearing heard.
Another tribunal on the same day heard a separate conduct case
A second tribunal on the same day was told that former Det Con Sean Brierley would have been sacked if he had not already left the force after being found "so intoxicated that he could not walk straight" while on duty. The panel heard that 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 from the east London bar showed him ordering three glasses of white wine over two hours.
Officers’ condition at the station and other recent dismissals
The hearing heard CCTV 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, and a custody sergeant gave evidence that Brierley had "smelt drunk" while other staff reported his speech had been "slurred". Separately, last week firearms Sgt Matt Skelt was sacked for gross misconduct after he worked and promoted a mobile pizza service while on long-term sick leave.
Overall, the Met has dismissed two officers for running businesses whilst being paid within a week, and the tribunals set out both the details of the Coffee Cycle operation and the conduct concerns in the Brierley case.
It is unclear in the provided context what the next formal steps or appeal schedule will be following the tribunals held on 12 February and the ruling noted in September 2025.
