Watch: Policeman who was 'off sick' caught celebrating win at Ascot

This was the embarrassing moment a police officer was caught celebrating a win at Royal Ascot – on the day he phoned in sick.

PC Jonathan Adams was ecstatic as he punched the air and jumped around shouting with joy as his horse romped to victory.

He was seen live on Channel 4 as nag ‘Quiet Reflection’ – owned by a syndicate he was linked with – won the Commonwealth Cup.

The horse came in as 7/4 favourite – scooping a staggering £243, 853 prize money – and beating a horse owned by Michael Owen into second place.

But on his lucky day, PC Adams had told his bosses at Gloucestershire Constabulary he was sick and had the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

He said he was too ill to attend work – but unluckily for him he was seen on Channel4Racing on the day in June 2016, a disciplinary panel was told.

PC Adams was caught out when senior officers watched the footage and investigated two other sick days he had taken.

Automatic number plate recognition data revealed he was at Ascot in Nottingham – watching a horse named Little Lady Kate which he owned a 2.5% stake in.

It is also alleged that on other occasions he had been off with a migraine, vomiting and diarrhoea, he had also been in Nottingham.

When confronted about going to the races on three occasions when off sick in nine months, PC Adams said horse-racing was “therapeutic” and a “coping mechanism”.

A lawyer for Gloucestershire Constabulary, Stephen Morley, said PC Adams had tried to book annual leave for the week of the Royal Ascot, which had been refused.

Instead he called in sick and went “on a jolly” with his racing pals on June 17, 2016.

PC Adams admitted going to Nottingham Racecourse to watch Little Lady Kate but said his hobby “helped him”.

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A lawyer for Gloucestershire Constabulary, Stephen Morley, said: “Our position is he wasn’t sick at all, he was throwing a sickie to go horse-racing.”

However, a lawyer representing PC Adams said there would not have been a problem had PC Adams “gone hill-walking, or sailing, or for a spa day.”

Richard Shepherd claimed Gloucestershire Constabulary did not have a “modern” attitude towards health or mental health.

He added: “To alleviate his stress and IBS and his migraines he watches horses.

Top pic: SWNS