The woman - who we also cannot name because of an order imposed by Norfolk Constabulary - criticised the force for the secrecy it had imposed on the case.

“I think the public should know,” she said. “If he didn’t want people to know he shouldn’t have done it."

The officer admitted paying sex workers amounted to gross misconduct (Image: Newsquest)

As revealed by the EDP last weekend, her husband, who was based in Norwich, visited Thai massage parlours for sex on three occasions while off duty, despite already having been warned about his conduct by senior officers after he exchanged messages with escorts.

At a misconduct hearing, he was sacked from the force.

But Nick Davison, who chaired the disciplinary panel, imposed an order on the press preventing us from revealing his identity, citing concerns for his mental health.

Because the order also bans the reporting of any details that might identify him, we cannot name his wife.

But she told the EDP: "He had been warned before but he still did it. So why should he get anonymity?”

She said she had confronted her husband after discovering phone messages he had been exchanging with escorts.

He then reported these exchanges to senior officers, who warned him about his conduct.

READ MORE: Norfolk police officer sacked for Thai massage parlour sex

However, his wife then found out he had been visiting massage parlours after tracking his movements on his phone.

She - rather than her husband - then reported the matter to police.

The officer, who has been a Norfolk PC since 2015, was not suspended when his actions came to light but was placed on restricted non-public facing duties.

The wife of a sacked officer has spoken out after reporting restrictions banned him being identified (Image: Facebook)

His wife said she was appalled by her husband's behaviour and criticised the way Norfolk Constabulary had handled the case.

She said that while she understood police had a duty of care to officers, vulnerable sex workers also “need to be protected”.

“I have spent my entire adult life trying to help women in those situations through charity acts and then he is doing that,” she added.

“He has dragged me through hell for the last year and not only that he knew what it would do to this family and his career and he still continued to do it.

“He didn’t think of the consequences of his actions.”

Norfolk assistant chief constable Nick Davison placed restriction on naming the officer (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

The EDP has challenged the reporting restrictions arguing they are against the principle of open justice, set an alarming precedent and diminish trust in the police as they could lead the public to conclude the force is a law unto itself.

The force has not responded.

Concerns about the case have also seen campaigners start an online petition calling for ACC Davison to lift reporting restrictions.

It states: “The continued concealment of this constable’s identity risks reinforcing the perception that the police operate by a different set of rules, which can only serve to undermine public confidence.”

The officer identified as PC Y admitted paying for sex at Thai massage parlours (Image: Facebook)

However, Sarah Taylor, Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has backed ACC Davison's decision.

Norfolk PCC Sarah Taylor said the officer had 'rightly lost their career in policing' (Image: Jason Bye)

She added: “This process has been transparent, held in public and carried out in accordance with the Home Office requirements for these proceedings.

“The assistant chief constable who chaired the proceedings has demonstrated to me that this decision was based on a balanced consideration of evidence which made this an appropriate outcome.

“As such, the public can take assurance from the fact that due process was taken, the right decision was made, and the officer in question has rightly lost their career in policing because of their actions."

The misconduct hearing was told the constable - who we can only name as PC Y - visited the massage parlours while off duty.

He said he had initially sought a Thai massage at one parlour to help with injuries rather than seeking sex, but when it was offered he had "accepted rather than leaving".

He later returned to a different massage parlour on two occasions in January and February 2025 where he paid for sexual acts.

National policing guidelines state that officers should not visit brothels to obtain sexual services as it risks impartiality and increases the risk of officers being blackmailed or exploited by organised criminals.

Officers who undergo disciplinary hearings are routinely named with College of Policing’s guidance suggesting they should always be unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Anonymity can be granted to officers in specific circumstances, such as undercover work, or high-level armed policing or if there is a risk to safety.

Decisions to not identify officers are made by the hearing chairman, sometimes leading to officers being given anonyms like Officer A or similar, following submissions from both sides.

Guidance states officers facing misconduct should be named unless in exceptional circumstances (Image: PA)

In the case of PC Y assistant chief constable Nick Davison, who chaired the accelerated disciplinary panel, granted a reporting restriction which banned identification.

He made the decision citing the Equalities Act and Home Office guidance on police conduct regulations, specifically the “physical and mental health welfare of the officer subject to the misconduct hearing”.

Despite calls for higher transparency, especially in cases of sexual misconduct, the use of anonymity for police officers has been criticised by lawyers and victims' families, who argue that it affords a "special status" and compromises public scrutiny.

© Eastern Daily Press