IOPC drops four claims against Cleveland PCC Steve Turner

Steve Turner was elected as Cleveland's PCC in May

A police and crime commissioner has welcomed the news that four out of five claims against him have been dropped.

Cleveland's Steve Turner recently described an anonymous allegation he had a pub fight in 2019 as "absurd".

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it "did not find sufficient indication that any criminal offences may have taken place".

Mr Turner continues to be investigated over an allegation of a historic sexual offence, which he denies.

The probe is being conducted by Avon and Somerset Police.

The Conservative-elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) refused to stand down from his role - which involves overseeing the running of Cleveland Police - after it was revealed he received a police caution in the 1990s for handling £15 of stolen goods when he was manager of a supermarket.

The IOPC previously said no offence had been committed by Mr Turner in not declaring the caution during the PCC election process as "there was no legal requirement" to do so.

He has faced calls to quit by four local Labour group council leaders.

The IOPC said the four allegations it returned to the crime panel related to an alleged assault in 2019 - there was a claim he had provided inaccurate information to the media and two complaints from the same individual regarding alleged data protection breaches.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said it offered its "full co-operation" to the panel "in respect of these matters".

Mr Turner's elected role involves overseeing the running of Cleveland Police

Mr Turner - who had denied wrongdoing - welcomed the latest news in a Facebook post.

"As I and my family go into Xmas it is good that these allegations do not require any further investigation and, whilst it is right that due process happens, quite frankly they should never have been put into the public domain in the first place," he said.

"We'd like to thank all of you who have supported us so far and wish you a very, merry Christmas and I look forward to building on the great plans I've got for 2022 and beyond."

'Reasonable and proportionate'

A spokesman for the IOPC said: "When assessing referrals, we are looking for any indication that the evidence and public interest contained within them meets the legal threshold for an investigation to be necessary.

"When a referral is returned, it is for the Police and Crime Panel to deal with any matters in a reasonable and proportionate manner."

The IOPC said in addition to these five allegations it had previously returned three other allegations back to the Police and Crime Panel.

The commissioner, who was elected in May, has previously said he had been given no details of the sexual assault allegation, which is said to date back to the 1980s, and the investigation could take years to conclude.