Northamptonshire's chief constable facing gross misconduct proceedings

Nick Adderley is currently suspended from Northamptonshire Police

A chief constable has "a case to answer" over allegations he misrepresented his military service, the office for Northamptonshire's police commissioner said.

Nick Adderley now faces accelerated gross misconduct proceedings following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

He was accused of wearing a Falklands War medal he did not earn and falsely stating he was a Royal Navy officer.

Mr Adderley has so far not commented.

The IOPC submitted a report to the office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) which said there was a case to answer for gross misconduct, based on the evidence it had gathered to date,

The county's PFCC Stephen Mold said he accepted this warranted an accelerated disciplinary hearing, which would now be convened at the earliest opportunity.

"I am grateful to the Independent Office for Police Conduct for the work it has carried out to date into the allegations against Chief Constable Nick Adderley," said Mr Mold.

"I am now convening an independent panel to consider the allegations."

Mr Adderley had previously stated his brothers had given him their medals to wear after one had became critically ill and the other emigrated.

They included a South Atlantic medal, awarded after the 1982 war with Argentina to recapture the Falklands, which is a British overseas territory.

'Personal family issue'

The IOPC said its criminal investigation into allegations Nick Adderley had misrepresented his military service was ongoing and it would decide whether or not to make a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The watchdog said the chief constable's conduct should be considered at a misconduct hearing, for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour.

The standards identified by the IOPC were honesty, integrity and discreditable conduct.

Analysis

by Sean Dilley, BBC News Correspondent

Nick Adderley is known to police officers across the country as the straight-talking chief who defends them against social media criticism.

Last year, he offered to personally pay for "thin blue line" uniform patches for Northamptonshire officers after reports the Met had banned them at London Pride.

In 2020, he was slapped down by then-Home Secretary Priti Patel for suggesting officers might check shopping trollies to ensure lockdown rules were being followed.

Now though, his future in policing hangs in the balance.

The former Royal Navy man is accused of breaching professional standards for honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct.

In other words - he's being accused of lying.

The accelerated hearing will decide, on the balance of probabilities, whether the gross misconduct allegations are proven or not.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct says it will wait for the conclusion of its criminal investigation before deciding whether to refer his case to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr Adderley has previously denied doing anything wrong by wearing medals gifted to him by his brothers.

In December, the BBC reported how Mr Adderley had claimed to be a Royal Navy officer despite never achieving that rank.

He served in the Royal Navy for less than two years after starting training as a rating in 1984.

It is understood he left because he was not suited for life in the service, despite a confirmation panel for his police job being told he spent 10 years in the navy.

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 a statement made in September, the Mr Adderley, 57, said he was disappointed "a very personal family issue" had been leaked.

"Coming from a military family, I wear all my medals with pride and have always worn the two medals my brothers gave me to wear when one became critically ill and one emigrated, alongside my own," he added.

"When I became aware of this complaint, which has had a private family impact upon me personally, I immediately took advice regarding the protocol and have changed the side of my chest on which these medals are worn."