A police officer was moonlighting as a prostitute while on sick leave from a force which has been plagued by sex scandals, a disciplinary hearing heard.

Detective Constable Richard Holder was sacked without notice for gross misconduct at a disciplinary hearing on Monday - but he had already resigned.

He is the second Sussex Police officer to have been discovered advertising himself as a prostitute in less than two years.

Chief Constable Giles York told the hearing at force headquarters in Lewes, East Sussex, that Holder had advertised on the AdultWork.com website using a "Sweet Sensations" account and was accepting payment for sexual encounters at his home while he was off duty and on sick leave.

Mr York said Holder's employment record showed he had a "pattern of disruptive behaviour that has been on the verge of criminal at times" and struggled with "under performance", adding: "He seems to have never been an officer with any great glory about him."

The force's Police Federation chairman Matt Webb, representing Holder, said he had "fallen on his sword", adding: "He fully admits all of the allegations set out against him. He took a pragmatic approach to these proceedings and has resigned. He asked me to express his apologies for his lack of judgment."