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A police officer from Louth has been given a new job with the force - less than six weeks after she was sacked for drink-driving.

Rebecca Stevenson was dismissed from Lincolnshire Police for gross misconduct on August 30 following her conviction the previous month.

As reported, the officer crashed her car in Saltfleetby and was found 'staggering' barefoot in the street in her dressing gown while on the way to a caravan site at about 4.30am on July 2.

The collision woke a woman in a nearby house who found debris on her drive and recognised Stevenson as a local police officer.

Ms Stevenson was over twice the legal drink drive limit when she lost control of her vehicle.

But now the officer has been re-hired in a new capacity as a ‘civilian investigator’ at Louth Police Station - although this location has not been confirmed by Lincolnshire Police, the Louth Leader report.

Deputy Chief Constable, Craig Naylor, defended Ms Stevenson's reappointment by saying it was "mutually beneficial for the force and the public of Lincolnshire" to give the officer a new job.

He said: "Ms Stevenson pleaded guilty at magistrates court to a charge of drink-driving, and was convicted and sentenced.

"Ms Stevenson’s conviction for drink driving led to a disciplinary hearing chaired by the Chief Constable, at which the fact of ‘gross misconduct’ was accepted."

“The outcome was that the conviction was not compatible with her role as a police constable and the warranted powers that the role holds. She was dismissed without notice from that position.

"There was substantial evidence, heard in private due to its sensitive nature, that supported the view that the actions of Ms Stevenson displayed behaviour for her that was both exceptional and rare."

Stevenson was dismissed after admitting gross misconduct following the drink-driving conviction in court on July 18.

The misconduct hearing was told PC Stevenson became "passively obstructive" when a colleague arrived at the scene of the crash and requested a roadside breath test - claiming he would never prove that she was the driver.

The hearing at Lincolnshire Police headquarters was told PC Stevenson, who was based in the market town of Louth, had found herself in "highly unusual personal circumstances" which led up to the incident.

PC Stevenson admitted her behaviour on July 2 this year amounted to gross misconduct but told the hearing it would not happen again.

In dismissing her from the force, Lincolnshire Chief Constable, Bill Skelly said: "I can not find what you did is consistent with your role as a warranted officer."

"That you were unfit to drive was clearly demonstrated by the serious accident you were involved in.

"Both yourself and members of the public were at serious risk of suffering life-changing harm or death."

The Chief Constable said he had found the decision to dismiss PC Stevenson "exceptionally difficult" and admitted he was "concerned and troubled" by the way Lincolnshire Police had responded to her return to work.

PC Stevenson had pleaded guilty to driving over the prescribed limit in Main Road, Saltfleetby, Lincs, when she appeared before Nottingham Magistrates. She was banned from driving for 17 months and given a £500 fine.

But on Friday, Deputy Chief Constable, Craig Naylor, revealed to the Louth Leader that Ms Stevenson had been given a new job.

“Lincolnshire Police takes the wellbeing of its staff very seriously, and believes that the public should be treated with empathy and compassion," he said.

“Ms Stevenson applied for a role as a member of staff and it was felt that, in this exceptional case, it was mutually beneficial for the Force and the public of Lincolnshire to put her 12 years of knowledge and experience to good effect.”