Surrey Police officer sacked for lying to IOPC

PC Stephen Walters lied to the IOPC about an assault carried out by a colleague

A Surrey Police officer has been dismissed after lying to the police watchdog investigating an assault carried out by a colleague.

PC Stephen Walters had given a statement in relation to a member of the public being hit in Epsom in 2017.

He claimed he heard his colleague PC Matthew Fitzgibbon strike the person once but later told another officer he had seen six blows being landed.

PC Walters was dismissed without notice following a misconduct hearing.

On Tuesday, PC Walters was found by an independent panel to have breached professional standards of behaviour by failing to act with honesty and integrity.

The hearing, which took place following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation, heard PC Walters provided statements to Surrey Police saying he did not see an assault take place, but heard what sounded like a single strike being delivered by his colleague PC Fitzgibbon.

'Guilty'

Former PC Fitzgibbon was later charged with assault, found guilty, and subsequently dismissed from Surrey Police in January 2019.

PC Walters was due to give evidence at the officer's trial in January but did not attend due to ill health.

Ten days after the trial, PC Walters disclosed to a colleague that in fact he had seen PC Fitzgibbon deliver about six strikes, and had even attempted to shield the man PC Fitzgibbon was hitting from being struck further.

The officer he spoke to noted the conversation in his pocketbook and later alerted a superior.

Following a referral from Surrey Police in January 2019, the IOPC began an investigation. Surrey Police later agreed the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct.

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