Police boss cancels 'ridiculous' theatre tour

An under-fire £79,000-a-year police commissioner said he had cancelled heavily criticised plans to take part in a 127-date national theatre tour.

Opposition parties had questioned how Reform UK's Colin Sutton would be able to oversee Norfolk Police while also presenting a live true crime stage show across the UK.

Sutton told a council meeting that the number of dates was "ridiculous" and that he had pulled out of the "Makings of a Murderer" tour after being contacted by residents.

Conservative Matthew Taylor, who stood against Sutton in the police and crime commissioner election in July, said it had been "a sorry saga".

A high profile former detective who led the investigation to catch Levi Bellfield, the murderer of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, Sutton comfortably won the election to become Norfolk's commissioner two months ago.

A regular on TV documentaries, he has previously carried out a long national theatre tour talking about his career.

Last week, promoters announced his follow-up series of shows would take place next year and Sutton initially said it "wouldn't impinge" on his day job.

But on Tuesday, he admitted to the BBC that he was considering cancelling the tour and on Wednesday he told councillors he had now scrapped it.