Former Sussex officer charged with misconduct in public office offences

A former Sussex police officer will appear in court today to face charges relating to misconduct in public office (MIPO) and computer misuse, following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).  

Samual Denness (formerly known as PC Samual Bate), 29, will appear at Guildford Magistrates’ Court charged with four counts under the Computer Misuse Act (1990) and two counts of MIPO. 

The charges related to alleged offending between November 2019 and August 2020, when Samual Denness allegedly accessed police records without a legitimate purpose on multiple occasions and formed inappropriate relationships with two women who were suspects in investigations he was involved in.  

Our investigation began following a conduct referral from the force in August 2020. The officer resigned from the force in January 2022.  

Following a disciplinary hearing in February 2022, the panel ruled that he would have been dismissed had he not resigned from the force, and he was placed on police’s barred list.