A former Sussex Police officer has been jailed for more than three years after falsely claiming that his parents were responsible for three separate speeding offences in an effort to dodge penalty points.

Seren Sriganesh, 23, appeared at Guildford Crown Court, where he was sentenced to three years and two months in prison after admitting to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, fraud offences, and unlawfully obtaining personal data.

The court heard that Sriganesh, who joined Sussex Police in 2023, already had six penalty points on his driving licence before becoming an officer—a fact he failed to disclose during his application process.

Illegal Access to Police Systems

In a bid to cover up three further speeding offences committed between 2020 and 2024, Sriganesh falsely named his parents as the drivers in the incidents. He also illegally accessed internal Sussex Police computer systems to view case details relating to one of the offences.

His misconduct was eventually flagged and reported to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), leading to a full investigation.

Sriganesh, who served in the Brighton and Hove policing division, resigned from the force in October 2024 ahead of disciplinary proceedings.

IOPC: “Blatant Abuse of Power”

Emily Barry, Director at the IOPC, condemned his actions, stating:

“The evidence gathered in this case was overwhelming. Sriganesh flagrantly and repeatedly broke the law for his own personal gain. His actions undermined the public’s trust and the integrity of policing.”

In addition to the prison sentence, Sriganesh has also been banned from driving for two years.

A Cautionary Tale for Police Accountability

The case has reignited discussion around vetting procedures and internal misconduct within UK police forces, with campaigners calling for stricter checks on officers’ conduct both before and after recruitment.

The Sussex Police Force has yet to comment publicly on the sentencing but is expected to conduct an internal review into the case.