Michelle Kirsty Reason
Introduction
Michelle Kirsty Reason is a former Derbyshire Police detective constable who stole more than £85,000 from her own force while working as the exhibits officer for a team that investigated high-level drugs gangs. Reason, 54, of Church Lane in Buxton, began siphoning cash in January 2022 from a safe that contained hundreds of thousands of pounds seized from criminals, and continued taking money until she left the force in December 2025 . On Monday, November 9, 2026, she pleaded guilty to theft and misconduct in public office and was jailed for four years and two months at Mansfield Magistrates’ and County Court .
Background Information
Reason served as a police exhibits officer based in Ripley, Derbyshire, and was one of only a small number of people with access to a safe containing hundreds of thousands of pounds in seized cash — money confiscated from the criminals her team investigated . The role placed her at the junction of evidence handling and asset seizure, work that depends on meticulous custody records because seized exhibits and cash must be produced intact for court proceedings.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced. Reason pleaded guilty to theft and misconduct in public office, and her conviction and four-years-and-two-months sentence are a matter of court record.
According to Derbyshire Police, Reason began siphoning cash after dealing with a large cash seizure in the region of £350,000. She initially stole £15,000 and, having found nobody noticed, began taking money on a regular basis from about January 2022 until she left the force in December 2025 . The force said she spent the stolen money on a car, a holiday, and tickets to events .
The theft surfaced when officers began reviewing stored exhibits ahead of an upcoming court case and began questioning where the cash had gone. Knowing she had been caught out, Reason went to St Mary’s Wharf police station to confess to taking the cash, giving a full account of the money taken and bringing with her the empty evidence bags the cash had been seized in, the force said . At the crown court hearing in Mansfield, Reason admitted taking £87,174.05, along with €1,620 and £114 worth of Albanian lek .
Public Reaction and Consequences
Derbyshire Police’s Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Michelle Shooter said Reason had been placed in a position of trust as a detective constable: “She broke the trust that we as a force put in her, and broke the trust that the public puts in officers to conduct themselves in a right and proper way.” Shooter added: “Her actions are a disgrace. Individuals who are willing to act in such a way have no place in policing and we will do all we can to root them out and bring them to justice” . A further hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act — the process through which confiscated criminal property and compensation orders are recovered — has been listed for April 9 .
Current Status
Reason, 54, is serving a sentence of four years and two months imposed at Mansfield on November 9, 2026 after guilty pleas to theft and misconduct in public office. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing listed for April 9 will determine the financial recovery against the stolen sums, which the court heard totaled £87,174.05 plus the euro and Albanian lek amounts .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Reason’s police career ended with her December 2025 departure from the force and is now formally defined by a criminal conviction for stealing from the evidence system she was appointed to protect. Beyond the prison term, the pending Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings expose her to further financial recovery, and the case stands as the force’s public example of internal accountability for officers who abuse positions of trust .
Sources
- BBC News, “Detective who stole more than £85,000 from own police force jailed,” November 9, 2026 — source