Police chief who lied about navy record sacked for gross misconduct

UK

A police chief has been sacked after being found guilty of gross misconduct over lying about his military record.

Nick Adderley, the chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, had been suspended on full pay since October for exaggerating his own rank and length of service and lying about his naval achievements.

The allegations included implying that he served in the Falklands War – despite being 15 when the conflict broke out in 1982.

A three-person panel, chaired by Callum Cowx, who served in the Royal Navy, the Army and the police, has now upheld all the allegations against him after a five-day hearing.

They found “his audacity to be quite staggering”, adding that he had lied over many years with “arrogant temerity”.

Mr Adderley was dismissed without notice and placed on the police barred list.

The hearing was previously told Mr Adderley had lied on his CV and application form when applying for the job with the force by claiming he served in the Royal Navy for 10 years when he had served for only two – and had apparently included his service with the Sea Cadets from the age of 10 in his calculation.

Image:
Nick Adderley arriving for his three-day misconduct hearing. Picture date: Tuesday May 28, 2024. Pic: PA


He also said he had attended the prestigious Britannia Royal Naval College for four years, despite his application being rejected, and that he had been a military negotiator in Haiti, when he had never been to the country.

Mr Adderley claimed he had been a “commander or a lieutenant”, even though he only achieved the rank of able seaman, and was further accused of failing to correct inaccurate newspaper articles about his naval career.

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He previously said the the South Atlantic Medal (SAM) he had been pictured wearing since at least 2012 was given to him by his brother Richard when he emigrated to Australia in 2008.

The SAM was awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands conflict.

But the hearing was told the medal was deemed “110%” fake by a Ministry of Defence expert and the panel was told on Thursday Mr Adderley told a “pack of lies” about his brother’s Falklands service.

John Beggs KC, representing the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC), told the hearing Richard Adderley did not embark for the Falklands until 2 July 1982, about three weeks after hostilities ceased.

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The barrister said Mr Adderley’s lies were an attempt to build “a military, naval legend that wasn’t true”.

Mr Cowx said the panel would not give fully formed reasons for their decisions today, and would prepare a written report within five days, but agreed the allegations against Mr Adderley amounted to breaches of honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct.

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