A hypocrite police chief who previously castigated colleagues caught drinking while behind the wheel has himself received a hefty driving ban after being three times over the legal limit and swerving all over the road before his arrest.
Paul Kessell resigned as a detective superintendent at Dorset Police after pleading guilty in September at Southampton Magistrates Court.
The 45-year-old, from Stoborough, Dorset, previously condemned fellow officers for drink driving but was today slammed by a judge for getting behind the wheel after drinking to excess.
He was subsequently found to have committed gross misconduct by the force, which said he would have been dismissed if he had not already resigned.
Kessell had admitted drink-driving in his Peugeot car on the A352 at Wool, near Wareham, on August 4.
Former police chief Paul Kessell has received a hefty driving ban after being three times over the legal limit and swerving all over the road before his arrest
Paul Kessell resigned as a detective superintendent at Dorset Police after pleading guilty in September at Southampton Magistrates Court
He was stopped and gave a breath test with a reading of 115 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which is more than three times the legal limit of 35mcg.
He has now been sentenced to a driving ban for 25 months, a 12-month community order to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month mental health treatment requirement.
He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a victim surcharge.
David Finney, prosecuting, said that Kessell - who attended court wearing a dark suit and purple tie - was arrested after members of the public alerted police to his driving.
The 45 year old Dorset Police officer was off-duty when he was spotted swerving across the road and driving in an erratic manner by members of the public.
Det Supt Kessell was arrested near his headquarters by officers from his police force - who said he smelt strongly of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet.
He said: There were several calls from members of the public about standards of driving, swerving all over the road, almost going into a hedge at one point.
The police officer has frequently been used by Dorset Police as well as Devon and Cornwall Police to provide comments condemning misconduct by his colleagues, which included him criticising a drink-driving colleague for bringing discredit to the force.
David Hurley, defending, said that his client had been suffering mental health difficulties and added: This event did provide a wake-up call and a change in his direction in life.
He was suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and he was self-medicating through the use of alcohol.
This was committed when he was driving past Dorset Police headquarters which triggered flashbacks, he bought alcohol and consumed it before driving.
It was the most stupid mistake in his life, because of the effects not only on him but his family.
He lives in a small village which will cause him problems in so many ways with public transport.
In terms of his employment, he did resign but they found gross misconduct against him.
As a consequence of this his pension is hit in a huge way.
His estimate is it will cost him hundreds of thousands of pounds.
He has suffered because he was a police officer in a way that you or I wouldnt suffer for this offence.
Mr Hurley said that his client had sought mental health support and joined Alcoholics Anonymous.
The court also heard the former police officer has struggled to find employment since he resigned, and is unable to access his pension for another 15 years.
Sentencing him, District Judge Anthony Callaway said: The court cannot overlook the fact the reading was a high reading, 115mcg in breath, this is three times the legal limit.
No accident resulted, but concerned members of the public noted your vehicle was being driven in an erratic manner.
Det Supt Kessell was a senior figure in Dorset polices major crime investigation team who played a leading role in the 2017 investigation into the disappearance of 19-year-old Gaia Pope
The judge said that he had read references for Kessell, including one from the chief constable, which spoke very highly of him.
He added: I note the devastating consequences this matter has had for you, your family and your career.
He continued: It needs to be stated that persons such as yourself that occupy public positions, and in your case a high ranking position, have to set an example and to be held to a higher standard.
He added that the defendant had expressed how deeply ashamed and saddened he was by his behaviour.
The judge said that Kessell was in a demanding role and added: I recognise the toll these stresses have on a person such as yourself and lack of healthy coping strategies for mental health issues exacerbated by investigations.
He added: These factors represent good personal mitigation but they do not excuse the fateful decision you made to consume drink in the quantity you did and drive the car in the manner the evidence indicates.
Fortuitously no accident occurred and there was no injury and I also bear in mind this is your first offence which you admitted at the first opportunity.
Det Supt Kessell from Stoborough, Dorset, previously led his forces professional standards department and frequently condemned colleagues who had been found guilty of misconduct.
Speaking of one officer who was caught driving twice the legal limit while off-duty, Det Supt said: We expect our officers to uphold the standards of professional behaviour at all times, while on and off duty.
His behaviour brought discredit upon the police service and could undermine public confidence.
Such behaviour will not be tolerated within policing and the decision made by the panel was that the officer should be dismissed without notice.
He made the comments in 2022 when he was Head of Alliance Professional Standards for the Dorset force and Devon and Cornwall Police.
Det Supt Kessell was in charge of firearms licensing in Dorset before he resigned. He attended a gross misconduct hearing and was told he would have been sacked had he not resigned.
Det Supt Kessell was a senior figure in Dorset polices major crime investigation team who played a leading role in the 2017 investigation into the disappearance of 19 year old Gaia Pope.