Police boss cancels theatre tour

Police commissioner Colin Sutton has cancelled a 127-date national theatre tour due to residents' reaction.

The decision comes after opposition parties questioned how he would oversee Norfolk Police while presenting the live true crime stage show.

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.

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

He added that many people in Norfolk had been left 'deeply disappointed by this episode'.

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.

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.

'What surprised me and what made me reflect and think again was the reaction that I got personally from a number of residents,'

'I'm not sure I could do 127 dates because it was ridiculous, but I could have done some. What I don't want to do is to give the impression to anybody that I don't take this role seriously and I'm not going to do a good job on this.