Nick Adderley: Doubts over chief constable's navy record

Mr Adderley is also accused of donning Falklands War medals - despite being aged only 15 when the conflict took place

A police chief constable who claimed he was a Royal Navy officer never achieved that rank, the BBC has learned.

Nick Adderley is currently suspended from Northamptonshire Police amid an investigation into his conduct over the wearing of military medals.

A panel for his police job was also told he spent 10 years in the service - but sources said he was enlisted for less than two.

Mr Adderley could not be reached for comment.

The Northamptonshire Police and Crime Panel was presented with a biography of Mr Adderley at a hearing to confirm his appointment to the top job in July 2018.

It stated that he had served in the Royal Navy for 10 years prior to joining the police in 1992.

However, Wirral Council has disclosed a magistrates' court record, showing he was the registered licensee for The Hooton Arms pub in Eastham between 1 June and 18 July 1990.

A source has corroborated the 57-year-old's time as a pub landlord during this period, and said "he had spoken about it quite openly".

The BBC has also been told Mr Adderley served in the Royal Navy for less than two years after starting training as a rating in 1984 and that he left because he wasn't suited for life in the service.

The Sun newspaper previously revealed that Mr Adderley had worn a Falklands War campaign medal despite him being 15 years old when the conflict took place in 1982.

A complaint was then made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) by a member of the public accusing him of misrepresenting his military service.

References to his spending a decade in the Royal Navy were also noted in press reports during his previous roles at Staffordshire and Cheshire Constabularies - as well as in a book.

Pete Higgins wants the chief constable to explain the apparent discrepancies in his naval record

Pete Higgins, 56, who joined up alongside Mr Adderley in 1984, has called on his former colleague to account for the apparent discrepancies in his career history and the controversy over the medals.

He said "common decency" required him to come forward and explain what had happened.

"We were basic trainees and joined up as seamen," he said.

"Myself and Nick decided to become Royal Navy gunners and we moved to HMS Cambridge to carry out that training."

A video showed Mr Adderley describing himself as a senior leader in the Royal Navy during a speech - and a photograph from Remembrance Day in 2019 depicted him wearing a naval officer's cap.

However Mr Adderley's name did not appear in a search of the official record of military promotions, the London Gazette, nor does it appear on the unofficial Navy List website which provides historic details of officers who have served.

"There are so many inconsistencies there," Mr Higgins said.

A Northamptonshire Police press release from last February stated the chief constable was a Falklands War veteran and that he had served 10 years in the Royal Navy.

It has since been taken down but remains archived on the internet.

Mr Adderley (bottom row, fourth from left) trained on HMS Raleigh in 1984 alongside Pete Higgins

Mr Adderley had previously said he "looks forward" to responding to the IOPC inquiry over his use of medals.

Northamptonshire Police said it could not comment.

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