Commissioner faces call to quit over bodies claim

Alison Hernandez has apologised, admitting she had spoken without full knowledge of the facts

Devon and Cornwall's police and crime commissioner is facing pressure to resign after she wrongly claimed multiple bodies had been found by officers in woodland at the centre of a murder investigation.

Senior officers later confirmed only the remains of one individual, believed to be Daniel Coleman, had been recovered at the site near Sticker, Cornwall.

Alison Hernandez later apologised "for any alarm caused" and said she "was not in possession of all the facts at that time".

Chair of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel Sally Haydon said the "seriously flawed information" caused unnecessary public alarm and undermined trust in the force, calling it "yet another serious mistake".

'Deeply unhelpful'

Hernandez was answering questions at a live-streamed meeting of the panel on Friday, when she said: "We have got a huge forensics tent down there and lots of forensics officers, obviously we've found dead bodies in that wood.

"We're just trying to establish how many there may be at this point in time and whether we are aware of who they are or what might have happened to them.

"So we also don't know how long they may have been there, some of them."

Senior officers later confirmed only the remains of a single individual, believed to be Daniel Coleman, had been recovered,

James Desborough, 39, is accused of murdering Mr Coleman, from St Austell, between 2 June and 7 July. He is due back before Truro Crown Court next month.

Det Supt Jon Bancroft said in a statement released by the force the case was not linked to other murder investigations in the area.

Haydon, who also serves as Plymouth City Council's cabinet member for community safety, said: "It's extremely disappointing that the commissioner shared such seriously flawed information at the panel.

"It created a period of real worry and is deeply unhelpful when we need to restore confidence in our police force," the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Police and crime commissioners are elected officials whose role is to help ensure police forces function effectively.

'Considering her position'

Haydon added the remarks came shortly after Hernandez had been corrected by her monitoring officer on a separate issue during the same meeting.

The commissioner also declined to disclose details of a financial settlement with outgoing suspended Chief Constable Will Kerr, saying the information would be published in next year's accounts.

Last year, she appointed a deputy commissioner against the panel's advice and he resigned after five months.

"All of this, coupled with apparent chaos at senior levels of the force, raises serious concerns," Haydon said.

"I believe she should be considering her position."

A spokesperson for Hernandez said: "The police and crime commissioner has clarified her position following her comments during a Police and Crime Panel meeting last Friday, July 25, which was a busy meeting covering a wide range of policing topics.

"There will be no further comment at this time."

Hernandez made headlines in 2017 when she suggested on BBC Radio Cornwall armed members of the public could be a "solution" if there was a terrorist attack.

"I'm just saying... let's officially have a look at that and see what would be the implications of it," she said.