A former police detective has been jailed for 19 years for stealing cocaine from work to sell on the streets of Manchester.

Andrew Talbot, who worked for Greater Manchester Police’s serious crime division, was found guilty of misconduct in public office and supplying class A drugs last month.

The 54-year-old took almost 4kg of cocaine with a retail value of £400,000 from an evidence store and searched police systems for dealers to help him sell the drug, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Talbot, who had a cocaine addiction, was caught when he accidentally dropped a small bag of the drug outside his daughter’s school.

The ex-officer, from Leigh in Greater Manchester, supplied the drug between 2018 and 2020.

He previously admitted several other charges including possession of cocaine, possession of ammunition without a firearm certificate, theft of cocaine and unauthorised access to computer material.

Talbot was sacked from GMP in August 2024, which the force said was the earliest legal opportunity.

Jennifer Adams, from GMP’s anti-corruption unit, said after the sentencing that it was “one of the most shocking cases of corruption uncovered” by her team.

“There is no place in policing for Talbot or anyone else like him who cannot be trusted to uphold the law and keep our streets safe,” she said.

“We will continue to relentlessly root out those who are not fit to represent the thousands of hardworking officers who serve the people of Greater Manchester.

“He betrayed his oath to serve the public and instead became a criminal.”

Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: “As a result of conscientious and dedicated police work, large quantities of Class A drugs were taken off the streets by officers of Greater Manchester Police, many of whom were your colleagues.

“As a result of your addiction and greed a significant quantity of that cocaine was put back into circulation.

“You deceived your colleagues and you betrayed the trust placed in you by them and the community.”

The court heard that Talbot conspired with convicted drug dealer Keith Bretherton, 50, to sell the stolen cocaine.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

The third floor room at the Casa Sur hotel where Liam Payne was staying is now sealed off with police tape.

Hotel guests walk up and down the corridor but a police officer is on guard to ensure nobody interferes with what is still the scene of an active investigation.

How and why did the One Direction star plummet to his death from the balcony of this room and was there any third-party involvement?

A 911 emergency call has already been leaked in which a hotel worker expresses concern for a guest who he believes to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

It is part of a stark picture emerging of the 31-year-old’s final hours.

Read more:
Former One Direction star Harry Styles pays tribute to Liam Payne
Liam Payne’s close friend reveals final messages to her

Sky News has seen police images from inside the room which authorities say was completely trashed.

The pictures show a TV screen smashed, unknown white substances and aluminium foil strewn across surfaces.

Other guests at the hotel in the upmarket Palermo district of Buenos Aires include a party of at least 20 people from the United States, in town for a friend’s wedding.

For Doug Jones, it is his first time out of the US and he did not know what to expect.

He’s staying in the room opposite where Payne was. The day before the singer died, Doug says he saw hotel staff coming in and out of the room carrying furniture.

“I assumed they were doing renovations because they had tool kits and drills,” he said.

On the day that Payne died, Doug said he heard lots of commotion coming from the room.

“A lot of crashing and banging and shouting,” he said. It culminated around 5pm, Doug says, when he heard a “violent, manly scream”.

He came outside and on to the tree-lined street outside, with its smart restaurants, bars and high-end shops.

It was suddenly filled with police cars. It was then he realised something tragic had unfolded.

“I’d heard of One Direction but I wouldn’t recognise Liam Payne, but some of the women who are part of the wedding had seen him in the elevator,” he said. “Now there’s a police woman sitting outside my room watching his room. I’m not sure how long she’ll be there.”

Other guests say they had seen Payne engaged in a heated discussion with a woman in the hotel lobby just hours before he died.

A 15-minute drive across town is the judicial morgue, where forensic experts assess that Payne had suffered 25 separate injuries in the fall, including massive internal and external bleeding. His injuries were incompatible with life, they said.

Baleria Linares, a 21-year-old college student who lives just a few streets from the Casa Sur hotel, has returned to join other fans who gathered to weep and sing One Direction songs. “We are together in our grief,” she said.

“Liam means so much to me,” she added between sobs, “he helped me through a hard time in my life. When I was happy I listened to them, when I was sad I listened to them. I love them with all my heart. But I know that he’s resting now.”

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

‘They saved my life at some point’

Some fans clutch bouquets, others pin notes to a nearby tree which is decorated with images of Payne.

“You’ll be always in our hearts,” one reads.

Morena Farias Gomez is sobbing as her friend tries to comfort her. “It is devastating news,” she said, “I’ve been a fan of One Direction for 10 years. I think they saved my life at some point, they were my teenage years, I grew up with them.”

The grief is real, here, but even more acute thousands of miles away with Payne’s family in the UK as they wait to bring his body home.

A baby has died after a boat carrying migrants ran into difficulties in the Channel, French authorities have said.

A total of 65 people were rescued following the incident off the coast of Wissant in northern France on Thursday evening.

The boat was found to be heavily loaded with people and some were in the water when the rescue team arrived, the French maritime team for the Channel and the North Sea said.

A French Navy patrol boat and a helicopter were used in the recovery operation.

During the rescue operation, an unconscious baby was retrieved from the water and transferred to the Abeille Normandie – an assistance and rescue intervention boat.

The baby was later declared dead by a doctor.

The 65 migrants and the deceased baby were taken to a port in the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

According to the maritime department, weather conditions are often difficult in the area where the boat ran into difficulties and it is a “particularly dangerous sector” even when the “sea seems beautiful”.

Searches are ongoing.

Read more from Sky News:
How Israel found and killed Hamas leader
Are 10,000 North Korean troops heading to Ukraine?

Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched by the public prosecutor’s office in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

It comes after four people died, including a two-year-old boy, while attempting to cross the Channel earlier this month.

More than 26,000 migrants have successfully made the crossing to the UK in small boats this year.

A total of 973 migrants made the crossing on Saturday 6 October – the highest daily figure in 2024.