Mr Warmington said he was under emotional stress and “didn’t use any space in my head because there wasn’t any”.

Commission chairman Nick Hawkins said if the PC had made “full admissions” and not lied to its inspector, “the matter may very well have taken a different course”.

However, Mr Hawkins went on to say: “The public expects police officers to have the highest standards of honesty and integrity and you have failed to display them.”

The panel concluded that the only sanction it could impose to “protect public confidence in the police” was dismissal without notice.

Northumbria Police’s head of professional standards, Det. Donna Rose, said the “overwhelming majority” of officers “make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

“We are determined to ensure that their efforts are not overshadowed by the actions of those who do not share the same values.”