By Richard Spillett, Crime Correspondent For Mailonline
Published: 15:34 BST, 10 May 2019 | Updated: 16:47 BST, 10 May 2019
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Two lazy detectives who dropped child abuse investigations so they could enjoy romantic Chinese meals together have been jailed for a total of three-and-a-half years.
Det Con Sharon Patterson, 49, and her boyfriend DC Lee Pollard, 47, sabotaged cases involving children they were supposed to protect.
Showing 'contempt' for sex abuse victims, they forged documents to convince bosses to take no further action against suspects.
Pollard destroyed evidence about a man with 'disturbing sexual traits' accused of assaulting an eight-year-old boy.
Patterson cancelled an appointment to gather evidence from social services records so she could get a manicure and have a Chinese meal with Pollard.
Detective Constables Lee Pollard and Sharon Patterson have been jailed for shutting down sex crime probes because they were too lazy to investigate
Patterson was jailed for 18 months today while Pollard got two years.
The lovers worked for Essex Police's Child Abuse Investigation Team, which faced a huge caseload in the wake of the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal.
Pollard was found guilty of two counts and Patterson was found guilty of one count of misconduct in a public office following a seven-week Old Bailey trial.
Both have been sacked for gross misconduct and may be barred from claiming their police pensions.
Patterson sobbed as Judge Nigel Lickley, QC, jailed her for 18 months.
