A former Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer has been barred from working in policing after being convicted of drink-driving. Former PC Jonathan Pickerill was stopped by officers in Cheshire on 26 November 2025 and found to be more than twice the legal alcohol limit.
The hearing was told Pickerill was off duty and driving from his home in Staffordshire when he was pulled over by officers in Cheshire. He was found to have 81 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.
The court outcome
According to the misconduct outcome, the former PC pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol in his system at South Cheshire Magistrates’ Court on 22 June. He was fined and disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay £627 in fines, costs and a victim surcharge.
Findings of the misconduct hearing
At a misconduct hearing, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said Pickerill’s actions “undoubtedly damages the trust and confidence that the public have a right to expect of their police”. GMP found the former officer’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and said he would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned.
Sir Stephen said Pickerill had “consumed a significant quantity of alcohol” before driving and that his behaviour put other road users at risk. “His actions were deliberate and carried out in the full knowledge that his conduct was both patently unlawful and entirely incompatible with the standards of behaviour required of a police officer.”
Sir Stephen said drink-driving “remains an enduring source of public concern”. “Mr Pickerill’s conduct and conviction inevitably brings the profession into disrepute and undoubtedly damages the trust and confidence that the public have a right to expect of their police”, he added.
Personal circumstances and the barred list
The misconduct hearing was told Pickerill had experienced “difficult issues in his personal life” which he said had “undermined his mental health”. However, the Chief Constable said he could not establish that these had created “an undeniable causal link” to his offending.
Sir Stephen said had Pickerill not resigned from GMP, “he would have been dismissed from the service with immediate effect”. His name has been added to the College of Policing’s barred list, which means he can no longer work in policing.
About Carl Millar
Carl Millar is a highly respected and experienced drink driving solicitor who is the principal of Millars Solicitors.
Carl has been a specialist in road traffic law for many years and represents clients from all walks of life and all over the Country. He is well known for the dogged defending of his clients and robust cross examination of police officers and exert witnesses.
With a wealth of expertise in motoring law Carl is well placed to provide advice over the phone and deal with all road traffic matters in a calm and professional way.
Getting in contact with Carl and Millars Solicitors is really easy. You can call him FREE on 0800 999 5535, or click here to send a confidential message.
