A POLICEMAN has stood down after it was revealed he was moonlighting as a male sex worker — while he was off work on sick leave.

A disciplinary meeting held earlier this week decided to fire Detective Constable Richard Holder without notice for gross misconduct, although the man had already “fallen on his sword” and resigned.

Detective Constable Holder had served as a police officer in Sussex in the UK before he was caught advertising for sex work on an adult site.

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According to Metro, the man was on sick leave when he advertised on the AdultWork site using a “Sweet Sensations” account.

Chief Constable Giles York told the hearing Mr Holder had struggled with “under performance” as well as a “pattern of disruptive behaviour that has been on the verge of criminal at times” during his police career.

He said Mr Holder “seems to have never been an officer with any great glory about him.”

However, Police Federation chairman Matt Webb, who represented Mr Holder, said his client “fully admits all of the allegations set out against him” and was remorseful.

“He took a pragmatic approach to these proceedings and has resigned,” Mr Webb said.

“He asked me to express his apologies for his lack of judgment.”

Metro reported Mr Holder was the second police officer in the Sussex area to lose their job after being caught working as a prostitute in the last two years.

In December 2016, police constable Daniel Moss was suspended from duty when it was discovered he had also advertised himself as a male prostitute while on stress leave.

There has also been a string of other high-profile cases involving members of the British police force indulging in inappropriate sexual conduct in recent years.

alexis.carey@news.com.au

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Originally published as Cop’s ‘sick leave’ prostitute work