A MARRIED police officer searched the national computer system before dating a woman.

A disciplinary panel found that the officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, breached conduct rules by searching the police national computer for personal reasons after the woman asked him out for a drink.

Identified only as PC A, the officer, who has been with Sussex Police for 19 years, was based at Hastings police station.

PC A was questioned after another officer spotted him spending time with the woman, known as witness B, at her home.

The disciplinary hearing was told witness B sent an email asking the officer if she could take him out for a drink after he investigated an allegation of theft from her son.

On January 7, 2018, she wrote: "Thank you for the paperwork. On another note, if you ever wanted to go for a drink I would happily take you.

"Apologies if you are married or attached, but life is too short not to ask."

The following day, PC A responded: "I'm so flattered that you asked, and I would have loved for you to have taken me out, but I'm married, and the force takes a dim view on mixing business with pleasure, unfortunately.

"I have your number now and may well ring you if you are happy to chat."

Cecily White, counsel for the Appropriate Authority, said this was the first time he checked the police computer system.

Ms White said the officer accessed material connected to the woman, her son and her ex-husband five times in 2018.

"He conducts various searches in relation to her,” Ms White said. "He's considering whether or not to pursue a relationship with her.

"He's checking to see if there's anything he needs to be concerned about."

Later emails from the woman refer to PC A as “sexy”.

"There is a lot of evidence of the contact between 2018 and 2020," Ms White added.

"Personal emails with a covering letter saying, 'Here you go, sexy'.

"Another personal email says, ‘Thank you, sexy.”

The panel found four out of five searches were not for legitimate policing purposes.

The officer told the panel: "I appreciate what I did was not done in the correct way, it was done with good intentions. Nothing malicious or dishonest about it.

"I've learnt a lot from my mistakes.”

The officer accepted he searched the police computer for personal reasons.

"I thought I was doing the right thing but did it the wrong way," he said.

PC A said he is no longer with his wife and now spends his time between his own flat and witness B.

Ms White said the investigation was launched as a fellow officer happened to be a neighbour and spot PC A leaving the address, and “put two and two together”.

"It was a sighting and then a connection they might know from the 2017 investigation," Ms White said.

PC A is set to find out on  Wednesday, February 23, he will keep his job in Sussex Police.