Met Police officer Sean Brierley ‘so drunk he couldn’t walk straight’ after drinking wine on duty
A police officer was “so drunk” after drinking wine on duty, a misconduct panel found.
The panel found the officer later left the Metropolitan Police force but would have been fired had he not done so.
Former detective officer Sean Brierley was told on the evening of July 2, 2025, that a suspect at Leyton police station was not yet ready for questioning.
Mr Brierly then went to the Gravity Well Taproom in Leyton, east London.
In its decision, the committee stated that in the images taken from the bar, he could be seen ordering three glasses of white wine in two hours.
When he returned to the police station that evening, CCTV showed he was “unsteady on his feet”, “disoriented” and “unbalanced”, the panel heard on February 12.
The verdict said a custody sergeant testified that Mr Brierley “smelled drunk” and other staff reported that his speech was “slurred”.
Summarizing her findings, panel chair Commander Katie Lilburn wrote: “The fact that the former police officer was so drunk and unable to walk straight meant that he was unfit to deal with a prisoner in custody and that was the purpose of his presence at the police station.”
The panel heard Mr Brierley’s colleagues were so concerned about his condition that they arranged a welfare check at his home later that night.
In the decision, it was stated that the police officers who came to the address at around 12.20 “found him lying on his bed in boxer shorts, with his quilt removed” and that he “looked very confused and was looking dully at the ceiling”.
The panel heard Mr Brierley told officers he was fine but did not ask why they were there or try to cover his body or sit up in bed.
Commander Lilburn added: “I find that the former officer’s actions were willful, premeditated and planned. “He chose to attend the Lands Room and consume alcohol while on duty.
“Being drunk while on duty at a police station or holding cell is particularly dangerous, with the risks that come with it.”
The panel concluded that Mr Brierley’s actions amounted to gross misconduct and that he would have been dismissed had he not left office.
