What happened to Gareth Suffling on 24 Hours in Police Custody?

AN instalment of Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody documents the shocking downfall of DC Gareth Suffling.

Here we take a look into the life of Gareth Suffling, the crimes he was convicted of, and the sentence he received.

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Who is Gareth Suffling?

Gareth Suffling, from Luton, was a Detective Constable at Bedfordshire Police.

In 2017, Suffling was placed behind bars after blackmailing a man who visited a sex worker.

His tearful arrest was shown on 24 Hours In Police Custody - which films officers on duty.

The footage was originally aired in an episode of Channel 4's 24 Hours In Police Custody in 2018, and the nation watched in shock from the victim’s very first police interview to the moment the DC was caught and arrested.

What did Gareth Suffling do?

An investigation was first launched after a man informed Luton Police officers that a threatening envelope containing pictures of himself leaving a motorhome had been left on his car windscreen.

A typed note with the photos demanded £1,000 or his loved ones would be told he had visited a sex worker.

The note, signed 'Light Justice', read: ''You have made an error in judgement. A massive error in judgement. The next step is for you to decide.

''On Thursday 16 March between 12.05 and 12.12 you used the services of a prostitute in Sedgewick Road, Luton.

''We’re sure that you will agree that the photographs along with the copies of the website provide quite damning proof of your actions that day.

''Do you really want the people closest to you to know about this?

''You made a bad decision and put your perversions above your family. You will pay £1,000 today.''

In footage aired on the Channel 4 series in 2018, the blackmail victim, a married man, told an officer: ''I went online and got the phone number of a prostitute in Luton. She told me she was in a mobile home.

"I went in, I gave her £30, she gave me oral sex. I didn’t think anything of it.''

When the customer reported what happened to the police, Suffling was part of the team investigating the blackmail.

After informing police officers of the blackmail plot, an investigating officer told of how if the victim was willing to use his own money, they could plant it in order to apprehend the suspect.

The victim agreed and travelled to the designated drop-off location, where a specialist police surveillance team was waiting to monitor the scene.

However, the deadline expired without the money being collected - but police officers made the decision to leave it there and continue to monitor the cash.

Following this, officers investigating the case then approached the sex worker, Kirie.

She said she was unaware of the blackmail, and added: ''I pay my taxes, I’ve got an accountant and I do everything above board.

''I’m a limited company so everything is clean. I never want to get in trouble for anything.''

She also claimed that she did not spot anyone taking photographs near her motorhome that day.

Police were satisfied that she had nothing to do with the blackmail.

Officers continued to monitor the drop-off point but nothing suspicious had been recorded.

This then led intelligence officers to check if anyone had made any online search requests regarding the victim’s personal information.

Suffling's crime then came to light when he was identified as having made a Police National Computer inquiry on March 17.

In a shocking twist, detectives discovered he checked the victim’s car registration number on his police computer to find out his address - prior to the victim reporting the blackmail plot.

At Suffling’s property, a search team discovered pictures of the victim, while a torn-up letter was found in the kitchen bin.

An officer put the pieces together and discovered it was a copy of the demand letter.

Officers analysing CCTV footage from a business near where Kirie’s motorhome was parked that day also spotted their suspect.

Cameras at the station captured the moment Suffling was taken into custody.

When questioned, Suffling said: ''No comment''.

Following the initial arrest, Suffling was suspended from duty and allowed home on bail while investigations continued.

Then the Major Crime Unit received a confession letter from Suffling’s lawyer.

Suffling claimed he did not plan to make any personal gain from the blackmail and was doing it to help a vulnerable sex worker to get into a drug referral scheme.

He also claimed he looked up drug referral programmes on his mobile phone, however, officers could not locate such evidence when scouring through his search history.

Instead, they discovered searches for “Crime to make easy money” and “How to make crime pay” as well as porn video sites and the page where Kirie advertised her services.

How long did Gareth Suffling get sentenced to?

In September 2017, Gareth Suffling pleaded guilty to blackmail and misconduct in a public office at St Albans Crown Court.

Following this, the former Detective Constable was placed behind bars for 18 months.

However, Bedfordshire Police felt the sentence was too lenient and as a result appealed.

The Court of Appeal said it was "a very serious criminal enterprise" and increased the sentence to three years.

The Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP referred the original sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Speaking after the hearing the Solicitor General said: ''Suffling was in a position of trust when he carried out these offences and his letter of blackmail was nothing short of menacing.

''This increased prison sentence shows that anyone caught using their position in public office to commit a crime will be punished.''