A Herts Police officer has been sacked after he let a colleague take sexual pictures of a woman in the back of a police car while on duty.

Copper Mark Crompton, along with an officer referred to as PC B, also visited the woman at an address where she was photographed posing semi-naked with a sex toy.

In the first incident the woman, who had been drinking alcohol, was picked up before exposing herself in the vehicle while PC B photographed her unchallenged.

The second meeting saw PC Crompton take pictures of PC B in uniform standing next to her while she was naked from the waist down.

PC Crompton, who was in a casual sexual relationship with the woman, has been sacked following a misconduct hearing on February 16.

In the decision published last week, Chief Constable Charlie Hall said “what happened cannot be defended, it is disgraceful behaviour for an on-duty officer to engage in”.

The incidents happened in December 2012 and January 2013.

Chief constable Hall said: “PC Crompton is culpable for his actions in this case.

“He has chosen to participate in arranging the contact and the taking of the photographs.

“Whilst another officer was present on both occasions, he has not actively intervened to stop these images being taken.”

He continued: “Indeed his actions were more calculated than that as the photographs have been taken deliberately and intentionally and the contact with the woman has been as a result of the relationship PC Crompton was in with her at the time.

“It is through this relationship that arrangements have been made to take both sets of explicit photographs.”

He described the pictures as “very explicit” adding that despite the woman consenting they would still cause “significant harm” to public confidence in policing.

The Chief Constable noted PC Crompton had been transparent during the hearing and was a “highly thought of police officer”.

The incidents happened during a five-day period of a 15-year career and he has shown “genuine remorse” and apologised for what has happened, he added.

Mr Hall also said that during PC Crompton’s career he received a set of commendations and was spoken about well by colleagues.