A Kingston police officer accused of taking a colleague’s tin of biscuits has appeared at a disciplinary hearing.

PC Thomas Hooper is alleged to have taken the tin from a storage cupboard on May 7, 2016, and given a false account afterwards.

The case has been informally named 'Biscuitgate' among local officers.

Charles Apthorp, representing the Met Police, told the misconduct hearing that PC Hooper’s actions showed a “fundamental lack of integrity”, saying his actions might have amounted to a breach of professional standards.

Mr Apthorp said: "The appropriate authority's perspective is that it is not the value of what was taken, it is what was done.

"It shows clear evidence of misappropriation of property. The officer was aware it belonged to someone else and the officer has taken it."

The tribunal heard PC Hooper took the biscuits, but was going to offer to share them out, and also offered to replace them.

He denies two allegations of breaching standards of professional behaviour, also being accused of applying for a fixed penalty notice to be cancelled, and giving a false account of the event afterwards.

The notice was issued while he was on duty, driving a marked police transit van to Kingston station on May 3, 2016 at 51mph in a 30mph zone.

It is claimed he was driving the van in “response mode”, with flashing lights, for no legitimate reason.

The tribunal heard PC Hooper’s case that the air conditioning in the van was not working, and the patient he was taking from a mental health unit to the station had been sick, posing a health hazard.

Panel chairwoman Naheed Asjad said the public would be concerned that a complaint involving a tin of biscuits had reached this stage.

She asked Sarah Blake, who was an inspector at the time: "You have a sergeant and an inspector and a box of biscuits that have gone missing and the only thing you can come up with is to refer the matter to DPS (Directorate of Professional Standards)?"

Ms Blake replied that "the option of going to the DPS was because of the gravity of the incident".

Ms Asjad pointed out that an offer had been made to replace the biscuits.

Ms Blake said: "By that time the biscuits had been eaten and, in my mind, theft is theft. How was he going to put the biscuits back?"

The hearing is listed for three days, until Wednesday, February 21.