Police watchdog refers Nick Adderley investigation to crown prosecutors
Police watchdog refers Nick Adderley investigation to crown prosecutors
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been carrying out a criminal investigation concerning Northants’ suspended chief constable since last October
By Sarah Ward
Crown prosecutors will now make a decision about whether Northants’ suspended chief constable Nick Adderley should be criminally charged after the police watchdog has made a referral to them.
The IOPC, which is responsible for investigating criminal allegations about police officers, announced this afternoon that it has completed its criminal investigation into Northants’s top cop and thinks there are grounds for prosecution. The CPS will make the final decision.
A statement released said:
“We have completed our criminal investigation into allegations that the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire, Nick Adderley, has misrepresented his military service, and have referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) Regional Director Emily Barry said: “Following careful investigation, we have now submitted an evidential report to the Crown Prosecution Service. It will be for the CPS to consider whether to bring any criminal charge.
“A referral to the CPS is made when the IOPC investigation indicates that a criminal offence may have been committed. It does not mean that criminal charges will necessarily follow. The CPS will decide whether charges should be brought, based on the test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.”
“In January we sent a report to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire along with our recommendation that the Chief Constable should face a gross misconduct hearing.”
The criminal investigation carried out by the IOPC related to possible CV fraud and misconduct in public office.
The office of the Northants police, fire and crime commissioner said today:
“The IOPC have made us aware of this referral today, and we have no further comment at the moment.”
Adderley’s naval history first came into the spotlight back in July, when The Sun reported that he had been wearing military medals from the Falklands War that were not his own. He said they belonged to a family member and has made no further comment since, but more information has come to light, which casts doubt on his reported career history.
As exclusively reported by NN Journal he had claimed in the CV that went before the appointments panel when he was applying to become Northants chief constable in 2018, that he had been a commander in the navy.
There appears to be no official record of his reaching such a high naval office and doubt has also been cast on his claims that he served in the navy for ten years.
If he had served in the Falklands as claimed, he would have been 15 at the time.
As we also exclusively reported, he is under investigation along with another serving police officer by Staffordshire Police relating to alleged fraud linked to the maintenance of police vehicles.
Today the IOPC said the Staffordshire Police investigation is ‘an entirely separate issue’ and does not form part of the file that has been passed to the CPS.
Adderley, who was suspended from his £165,00 role in October on full pay, is due to face a misconduct hearing at the end of May.
The recruitment process and the Due Diligence has been totally inadequate and unreliable. The so called "rigorous" vetting does not appear to have ever existed. The whole responsibilities rest with Stephen Mold and his team.
Mold mislead the Panel at least twice. Firstly for the appointment of Nick Adderley and secondly it would appears to have done exactly the same thing for appointing the new Chief of Fire & Rescue Services (Nicci Watson). In my opinion he should also be prosecuted for not taking his responsibility.
On the 31st of January 2024 the IOPC issued this statement.
“we have sent a report relating to disciplinary matters to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Northamptonshire alongside our recommendation that the Chief Constable’s conduct should be considered at a misconduct hearing, for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour, which could amount to gross misconduct. The standards identified are honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. We advised the PFCC, based on the evidence we had gathered to date, that the PFCC should proceed to an accelerated gross misconduct hearing.”
If Mr Adderley is found guilty at the upcoming gross misconduct hearing, I believe this should happen.
He should lose his pension.
He should repay the £96,000 paid to him whilst suspended.
He should fade away into obscurity in disgrace.
Mr Adderley is not going to be sentenced to prison, the place to hit this man is in his pocket.