A British police officer has been dismissed after being caught riding an e-scooter while drunk during Oktoberfest in Munich. The officer, identified as PC Samuel Booty of the British Transport Police, faced a gross misconduct hearing following the incident in Germany last year.
Incident Details
The hearing revealed that PC Booty rode an e-scooter on October 5, 2025, while off duty in Munich, a city famous for its annual beer festival. German police stopped him for riding under the influence and administered a roadside breath test and blood sample. The results showed he was approximately four times over the German legal alcohol limit and 2.7 times over the limit in England.
In Germany, the legal blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.5 grams per liter, with levels at or above 1.1 g/l carrying penalties of large fines or imprisonment. PC Booty's sample registered 2.15 g/l. Riding an e-scooter while intoxicated is a criminal offense in both the UK and Germany.
Admission and Resignation
Three days after the incident, PC Booty, who served in Exeter, informed the force via email, admitting to riding an e-scooter under the influence and stating he had paid a fine. In the email, he accepted responsibility and acknowledged that his actions fell short of the values he holds himself to, according to the panel. He resigned before the hearing, which took place on April 14, 2026.
His superiors stated that had he not resigned, his actions would have constituted gross misconduct, leading to immediate dismissal. Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi, who chaired the hearing, emphasized that breaking the law is fundamentally incompatible with upholding it. She noted that the officer committed a criminal offense involving operating a vehicle in a public place while over the legal limit.
“Behaviour like this fundamentally undermines public trust and confidence, and is incompatible with the standards expected of a police officer. Policing depends on public confidence, which is why I have taken the decision that had he not resigned, PC Booty would have been dismissed with immediate effect,” D'Orsi said.
Mitigating Factors
The Chief Constable acknowledged mitigating factors, including the short duration of the incident, PC Booty's early admission, and his genuine remorse. However, she noted that the officer alone chose to drive an e-scooter after consuming alcohol while on holiday at Oktoberfest.
“I consider his actions to have been deliberate, and he bears full culpability for them. I note that he suggests that many others were also riding e-scooters back to their hotels too. This point has no bearing on his own actions but serves to illustrate a lack of awareness of the personal responsibility he holds as a police officer,” she wrote in the report.
