Sobbing cop arrested by his own colleagues as he's suspected of trying to blackmail a man who was sleeping with a prostitute

It looks like a scene out of the hit show Line of Duty.



This is the moment a police officer, based in Luton, is arrested by his own colleagues on suspicion of blackmail.



It came after a man called into the Bedforshire police station to report claims he as being blackmailed.



But as officers investigated the man's claims, it became clear the prime suspect was one of their own.



He said an envelope had been left on his car filled with photos of him visiting a prostitute.



It came with a typed blackmail note, demanding £1,000 in compensation along with instructions for a drop-off point.



The claims were so serious they were probed by the Major Crime Unit, which is headed Detective Chief Inspector Jerry Waite.



Initially, the police investigated the prostitute, known only as Kirie, who advertises on an adult-only website.



She insisted she had nothing to hide and officers struck her from their probe.



But then it emerged Gareth Suffling from Bedforshire Police's Serious Organised Crime Unit had carried out a car registration search on the victim's car just days earlier.



He was also caught on the surveillance team's cameras at the drop-off point.



The probe was then kept quiet, with just the officers involved in the know, reports the Daily Mail .



DC Suffling had been described as an "all round good egg", who just weeks before he tried to blackmail the man had been praised for his work tackling a child grooming ring.



He was arrested by DS Mark Devine just two days after he had attended an internal conference with the "unassuming" detective.



The police carrying out the arrest struggles to hide both his disgust and disbelief at having to arrest a fellow officer.



During his interviews he replied "no comment" and is suspended from duty.



But the following day, Suffling writes out a full confession.



In May last year he was charged with blackmail and misconduct in public office and four months later pleaded guilty at St Albans Crown Court .



Suffling was jailed for 18 months but Bedfordshire Police's chief constable felt this was not long enough and lodged and appeal for it to be increased.



In November, Suffling's sentence was double to three years.