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A PC who started a relationship with a woman he arrested despite being warned not to by his bosses, has been jailed.

Michael Luckett, 32, arrested the woman after a crash in Warrington in January 2019 and during his investigation identified her as "vulnerable" .

The pair later had contact on Facebook and as a result he was ordered to block her, Cheshire Police said.

However, he was found to have started a sexual relationship and so was charged with misconduct in public office.

After resigning from the force, he admitted the charge at Manchester Crown Court and was jailed for 12 months.

A force spokesman said Luckett's investigation of the crash led him to submit a Vulnerable Person Assessment, in which he acknowledged the woman was vulnerable.

She contacted him online in February 2019 and had a half-hour conversation, which he reported to his supervisor.

As a result, he was issued with management advice by Cheshire Police's Professional Standards Department (PSD), which ordered him to cease contact.

Her case was then assigned to a different officer and she was given a 20-month driving ban in April after admitting drink-driving.

However, Luckett then revealed to a Police Federation representative they were in a relationship.

A subsequent PSD investigation found Luckett had unblocked the woman on social media in March 2019 and within weeks, had started a "sexual relationship, despite all the warnings he had received and the fact that the case against her had not concluded".

After sentencing, Det Ch Insp Alison Ross said Luckett's "personal behaviour was totally inappropriate for a serving police officer".

"While Luckett pleaded guilty and has now resigned from the force, that does not in any way excuse his behaviour."