A former police sergeant has been sentenced to four years in prison for misconduct in public office and unlawfully disclosing personal data. Paul Street, 41, fostered a "toxic" culture within the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, engaging in "salacious gossip" with former PC Josh Williams after Williams found intimate footage on a female suspect's phone.
Street, who had previously appeared on BBC and Channel 4 crime shows, was also found guilty of encouraging colleagues to "bully" a teenage detainee in WhatsApp messages. Williams, 38, pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and received a 16-month prison sentence.
The anti-corruption officers uncovered Street's involvement in two WhatsApp groups in 2021. In April 2020, Street sent a message to his team handling a 17-year-old detainee, stating they should "smash his head in." Later that year, Williams examined the phone of a suspect and informed Street that she was "quite fit." Street then inquired if there were "any nudes," and Williams reported finding a video of the woman committing a sex act.
Williams proceeded to send Street, a father of two, a photo from the suspect's phone depicting her in underwear. Street later asked if Williams still possessed the video, expressing a desire to show it to "the lads from footy." However, there was no evidence that the video was ultimately shared. An investigation into Street's conduct revealed that eleven other officers were probed for their behavior stemming from the culture he cultivated, leading to one officer's dismissal for gross misconduct.