EXCLUSIVE: Downfall of former senior Met Police cop TV pundit Peter Kirkham - who judge said 'exploited his standing to have drug-fuelled sex with vulnerable young gay men' -shown in new mugshot

THIS is the police mugshot of former Met Police chief Peter Kirkham who a judge said "exploited his standing to have drug-fuelled sex with vulnerable young gay men" , a sentencing judge today, June 18 2026, said.

Kirkham, 65, who has been a regular political commentator about crime and justice issues on Sky News, Channel 4, GB News and the BBC had pleaded guilty to two drug supply offences and three possession of controlled drug offences at Kingston Crown Court ahead of a sexual exploitation trial.

He was cleared of all sexual offences in May, but, sentencing him today at the same court Judge Marcus Tregilgas-Davey said he had exploited his former role.

He told Kirkham: "You were supplying drugs to have sex with other men and there was a degree of sexual control shy of a sexual offence.

"I say that with the benefit of overseeing the trial in which you were charged with a number of sex offences of which you were acquitted, but there is force to the Crown's suggestion as well that you exploited your status as a retired detective chief inspector.

"I take your counsel's point that you retired in 2002, but the evidence at trial was quite clear you would tell these men you were a retired DCI and you made regular and frequent television appearances in your role as a former DCI and you made that very well known to these young men so it rather enforced you were a person of authority and standing within the community.

"The trial I oversaw was fairly lengthy and it was clear to me during that trial that you did take advantage.

"You hold yourself out as someone who provides shelter and care for young men. You do not. You lure them in before exploiting their vulnerabilities for your sexual pleasure and that is relative to this sentencing exercise because the way you did it was by providing, supplying drugs and the same drugs which are the subject matter of this indictment.

"This is not me making any moral judgement on what you did in your private life, it is on the evidence that you supplied these drugs for some other advantage and that other advantage was you taking advantage of men many, many years younger than you who had difficulties and vulnerabilities, either because they had been ostracised by their communities or had mental health difficulties or were heavy drug users." 

He was sentenced to 12 months in prison on all counts, but walked free from court after already serving eight months while on remand.

The court heard police raided his Twickenham home on September 27 2024 after neighbours reported to police “chemsex” parties taking place there.

Present at the address were Kirkham, Cordell Tetteh, 33, (above) and two other men who were never charged.

In one bedroom police found quantities of MDMA, crystal meth, ketamine and cannabis.

In a second bedroom they found cocaine.

On October 30 2025, police raised the address again after reports of more parties and multiple electronic devices were seized along with Class A and Class B drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Analysis of the phones found both Kirkham and Tetteh involved in the supply of some of the drugs.

Abd Al-Rahman Az-Zubair, prosecuting said Tetteh was assisting Kirkham to provide the drugs for the parties.

He said: "Peter Kirkham clearly held a management function. Involved others through the use of pressure and influence in expectation of a both financial and other (sexual) advantage.

"There were aggravating factors. Supply was in part for the purposes of sexual control and coercion. He exploited his status as a retired detective to house and supply to vulnerable men.

"The supply formed part of a broader “chemsex” scene and therefore significantly more clientele, and therefore significantly more numbers of people put at risk than is reflected in the messaging alone."

Defending Kirkham at sentencing,  Kevin Walls, argued his role as a former senior officer, from which he retired in 2002, did not place him in any position of trust nearly two decades on.

He also said he was a man of previous good character and had a decorated career and only became involved in chemsex after he came out close to his retirement and began to use Grindr, on which others introduced him to the drugs.

During the trial in May Kirkham was accused of "sex assaults and coercive behaviour against two vulnerable young gay men," who cannot be named for legal reasons. He admitted to the drug offences last December ahead of the trial.

He admitted to one count of being concerned in the supply of cannabis to others between September 27 and October 30 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to one charge of between the same dates supplying the class B drug Gamma Butyrolactone (GBL), which is stronger than GHB, known on the streets as GBH, and comes with a high risk of overdose.

Kirkham also admitted three counts of possession of class A drugs between the same dates, including MDMA, cocaine and Methylamphetamine Hydrochloride, known as crystal meth, and possession of class B ketamine.

During the subsequent trial, Kirkham admitted to the jury that he had sometimes taken the various drugs during 'chem sex' sessions after meeting men for hookups on the dating app Grindr.

He told the jury he was a 'promiscuous' user of the app, enjoying sex with other men, and sometimes threesomes, but that every single encounter he had in his life has been consensual.

The court heard that after meeting the two men, he offered them drugs and accommodation at his Twickenham home.

One of them was aged 18 at the time he first met him, while the other was in his 30s.

Kirkham was charged with four offences against the older man who he met in 2024.

It was alleged that on or about April 23 2025, he carried out a sex act on the man while the alleged victim was asleep, so he was unable to consent.

On or about the same date it was alleged that Kirkham forced the same man to have sex with him, and that this was also without his consent due to control and exploitation reasons and/or Kirkham failing to disclose he was HIV positive since 2002.

It was further alleged that on or about May 19 2025, he sexually assaulted the same man by sexually touching him over his clothing without consent.

He was also charged with exploiting the same man through controlling/coercive behaviour, knowing this would have a serious effect on him, due to his vulnerability between April 21 and June 6 2025.

He faced the same coercion charges in respect of the younger man, with allegations he used the alleged victim's drug dependency to exploit him between August 1 2023 and May 31 2025.

He was also charged with raping the second man on at least ten occasions between the same dates, by exchanging drugs for the sex acts while knowing he was dependent on them and not consenting.

There was a similar charge of causing him to engage in sexual activity without consent at least ten times for the same reasons over the same period.

It was separately alleged that on or before September 27 2024 Kirkham made 13 indecent images and two indecent videos of children of the worst type, category A with a separate charge of having six indecent images and three indecent videos of children at category B on or before the same date.

This was after such images and videos were said to have been discovered by police on his mobile phone during the investigation.

Kirkham denied all nine of the offences.

The court heard that Kirkham served for 21 years with the Met Police rising to the rank of Detective Chief Inspector before returning in 2002 with a decorated and unblemished career.

He went on to set up a security management and policing consultancy company and become a regular TV pundit, who has given views on crime, policing and its politics to national newspapers and broadcasters.

Prosecuting Mark Fenhalls, KC, said: "Subsequent to retiring he appeared on various media outlets providing 'expert’ comment on various stories that appeared in the news."

But, Mr Fenhalls said that from at least 2022 Kirkham had associated with "vulnerable young men".

The court heard that the younger man was bailed to live at Kirkham's address after he was charged with an offence and that the abuse continued until the alleged victim "fled" from Kirkham's home.

A harrowing phone call the young man made to police was played to the jury in which the alleged victim pleaded for help alleging that Kirkham was making him take drugs and forcing him into sex acts he did not want to do.

Body Worn video of police searching Kirkham's home was played to the court, during which he was asked for his phone pin, to which he replied 'I'll speak to a solicitor.'

Mr Fenhalls put it to Kirkham that he had made the younger man financially dependent upon him.

Kirkham said this was untrue and the man had his own key and could come and go from the address as he pleased.

He said that he had consensual sex with both men at different times and always kept a supply of PrEP, the prescription drug that prevents HIV from spreading.

He said he had not been in a relationship with either of them and they were just friends he had tried to help out who sometimes had sex.

Under cross examination, Kirkham said he left the force after being commended several times because he had achieved all he had wanted to from the job.

He said he had been a drinker while on the force but in later years, virtually gave up alcohol, before discovering the use of some recreational drugs during sex after using Grindr.

His profile said he was open to "hook ups" with men who engaged in chem sex, detailing to the court the effects of certain drugs such as MDMA, crystal meth, GBH, cocaine and cannabis.

He said: "I'm ashamed to say I am promiscuous... I would usually meet just one person. Later, if they wanted, there could be a threesome... but it is always consensual. I have never had sex with anyone without consent in my life. I have never had any sex with anyone who has been asleep."

In response to one of the acts accused of, he said it would have been impossible for him to get into that position due to his knees being "shot."

Kirkham admitted sex with the younger man on at least ten occasions, but said they all were with consent.

He said he could be blunt and had a normal temper, but did not hold grudges. He admitted getting angry once after a gas leak, and to calling one of the men "stupid" once or twice, but not as part of any campaign of emotional abuse.

He also admitted once saying "what is the point of having a rent boy in the house if I don't get sex all the time" but said it was down to his type of sense of humour which was obvious at the time.

He said the younger man was given accommodation after being disowned by his family after being outed as gay and the other man had been homeless.

He said: "They were not financially dependent, I was never coercive."

Regarding indecent images, Kirkham said he had limited interest in pornography and no interest in children and he had no idea why they were on his phone and he had never opened them.

The court heard that Kirkham claimed the allegations from both men were part of a conspiracy to ruin his life.

He was arrested and bailed after the younger man reported the offences.

The older man's allegations were initially investigated by a different police officer before the probe was merged.

Kirkham said he was gobsmacked when he learned of the allegations and that the younger man had left his address on good terms before he never saw him again.

Defending him in the trial, Charles Digby, said there had been a conversation between one police officer and the older victim when he had said sex had been consensual.

Kirkham was found not guilty of all of the sex abuse, coercion and indecent images of children charges by the jury.

Tetteh pleaded guilty to class B drug supply and was jailed for six months, but released as the time had been served on remand.