AN Essex police officer who faked forms in a child abuse investigation has been sacked.

An Essex Police spokesman said in a statement Det Con Sharon Patterson had been dismissed without notice at a special case hearing in Chelmsford.

The ex-officer was convicted of one charge of misconduct in a public office at the Old Bailey in London.

She will be sentenced next month with her partner, Det Con Lee Pollard, 47, who was convicted of the same offence.

Following her conviction, Patterson was found to be in breach of Professional Standards of Discreditable Conduct.

Patterson was convicted of falsely updating a form to show how the investigation was progressing and she also faked a form from a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer to suggest no further action would take place.

Essex Police Chief Constable BJ Harrington ruled Patterson should be dismissed without notice.

Both Patterson and ex-officer Pollard, who was also found guilty of two counts of misconduct in public office, will be sentenced later this month.