Friday brief: Still no charging decision on Northants’ sacked chief constable

Here’s a news round up this heat frazzled Friday

Nick Adderley beefed up his military achievements. Police image.

Sixteen months on from an evidence file being handed to crown prosecutors, a decision has not been made on whether to charge disgraced chief constable Nick Adderley with any offences.

The chief constable was sacked from his job in June last year after an independent panel found he was guilty of gross misconduct after repeatedly lying on his CV and misrepresenting his naval career during his conversations with others.

Adderley’s misrepresentation of his military service was flagged up by an ex wife to the Northants police, fire and crime commissioner’s office in the summer of 2023, which set about a chain of events that would lead to his sacking.

The hearing heard that Adderley had put a number of lies on his CV including that he had studied at a prestigious naval college. He had led people to believe he had served in the Falklands conflict, by wearing a veterans medal, which had belonged to his brother.

After their investigations, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) sent an evidence file to the crown prosecution in April 2024. CV fraud is a crime.

There has been little information from the authorities in recent months and so NN Journal contacted the CPS for an on the record update.

They have not given an official statement but said that following the initial evidence file, further material was submitted at a later date by the IOPC. They have not said when that date was.

The organisation has said it does not give timescales on charging decisions but endeavour to make timely decisions.

As revealed by NN Journal last year Adderley was also under investigation by his former employer Staffordshire Police into alleged vehicle maintenance fraud. In March the IOPC said he had not cause to answer.

Adderley’s poor performance has come to the fore again in recent weeks. His handling of the death of teenager Harry Dunn, who was killed by American diplomat Anne Sacoolas was criticised in an internal review commissioned by Northants Police.

The Dunn family have this week secured from the Foreign Secretary David Lammy an independent review into the government’s actions following the teenager’s road death.

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News in brief:

A Northampton shop which hid illicit tobacco in the boot of a nearby car has voluntarily surrendered its alcohol licence.

West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) licensing committee heard that officers had found more than 600 packets of illegal cigarettes and pouches of hand-rolling tobacco in the possession of Viva Mini Market, at 199B Kettering Road, in March this year.
According to the council report, there had been several allegations that the shop was selling illegal cigarettes, tobacco and disposable electronic cigarettes.

Part of the intelligence suggested that the store was selling the illicit goods from the boot of a blue BMW, which had been parked around the corner on Hood Street for some time.

Officers entered the store on March 12 and seized more than 200 illegal vapes on display behind the counter. They key to the suspected BMW was also found on a member of staff and 578 packets of illegal cigarettes and 74 pouches of illegal tobacco were taken from the boot.

The shop no longer has an active licence.
Report by Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter

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Photo by Zaptec on Unsplas

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has announced its intentions to alter the region’s climate change policy and scrap its net zero targets.

The new Reform UK administration has said it wants to ‘refocus’ the council’s sustainability commitments and prioritise public resources towards delivering practical, high-impact projects for residents.

This includes plans to axe the net zero targets on WNC’s operational emissions by 2030, and those of residents and businesses by 2045. The wider Government targets for the area to be net zero by 2050 would still remain.

In 2022, the authority signed onto a new pledge, putting in place the current net zero targets. The council report notes that, in line with the policy position of the new administration, it would no longer be viable to pursue them.

The Cabinet will meet on Wednesday to discuss the proposals.

Cabinet Member for environment, Cllr Nigel Stansfield, said that the policy shift “reflects the limited ability” WNC has to materially affect global warming.

Warning against the cabinet proposals, Green Party spokesperson for West Northants, Ed Jaspers, said:

“Ambitious targets aren’t about perfection, they’re about direction. It will drive far more progress, investment, and innovation than no goal at all.

“A target is not a prediction, it’s a commitment to act. These targets don’t exist to be easy, they exist to make sure we don’t forget how urgent the issue is.

“The Climate Change Committee has confirmed that UK net zero by 2050 is urgently needed and is still possible. But to get there is going to require us all to work together.

“West Northants Council has shown a dangerous neglect of its leadership responsibilities by proposing to scrap the targets that can help drive a transition to make our region – and our nation – healthier, greener and more prosperous.”

Lib Dem group leader Cllr Jonathan Harris said:

“This move, to remove local targets comes as absolutely no surprise at all. We know who is in charge of Reform UK at West Northamptonshire Council and it’s not the local cabinet.”
Report by Nadia Lincoln