'Lies are flowing' from chief constable, panel told

Nick Adderley, the chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, faces allegations he exaggerated his military experience

"Lies are flowing" from the mouth of Northamptonshire's top police officer, a gross misconduct hearing has been told.

Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley is facing allegations that he misrepresented his service in the Royal Navy.

He has denied gross misconduct and that he acted "without honesty and integrity".

In his closing statement on the penultimate day of the hearing, John Beggs KC set out his case against Mr Adderley.

Mr Beggs, representing the Northamptonshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), claimed the chief constable had lied about reaching the rank of lieutenant in the military and that he was a military negotiator in Haiti in the 1980s.

The allegations came to light when doubt was cast over the Falklands War medal that Mr Adderley had worn on his uniform since 2009, despite only being 15 at the time of the conflict.

The legally-qualified chairman of the panel, Callum Cowx, said he had told Mr Adderley to attend the final day

Mr Beggs told the panel the South Atlantic Medal, which Mr Adderley claimed was gifted from his older brother, was "bogus" and was not applied for until October 2023.

Mr Beggs said: "Whichever way you analyse it, lies are flowing from his mouth.

"On your own account Mr Adderley, while a Superintendent at Cheshire Police, started wearing a South Atlantic medal. Why would he do that?"

He went on to say: “The legend that he spent over 10 years in the navy, reported diligently by journalists, is the self-same legend in his own CV.

"Your CV has to be true - so why not put a true version of yourself forward?"

Mr Adderley's lawyer Matthew Holdcroft told the panel: "Suggesting that this is a clever contrived lie that’s been spanning for decades is demonstrably untrue because no careful liar would be setting themselves up to fail so spectacularly."

Consequences

The three-man panel will reconvene on Friday to give its ruling.

If gross misconduct is proven, three possible sanctions are set out for Mr Adderley including a final written warning, a reduction in rank or a dismissal without notice, with the additional consequence of being included on the barred list.

Mr Adderley was not present for the closing statements from both counsel.

Legally-qualified chairman Callum Cowx said the suspended chief constable had been directed to attend on Friday, but that he was “unlikely” to show up.