21 June 2024 , 20:55
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Mr Adderly wore a South Atlantic Medal, awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands conflict, that was deemed “110%” fake by a Ministry of Defence medal expert
A top cop who lied and exaggerated his naval rank, length of service and achievements when applying to become chief constable has been found to have committed gross misconduct.
Nick Adderley, suspended chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, “built military naval legend that wasn’t true”, a misconduct hearing was told - including implying that he had served in the Falklands War, despite being 15 when the conflict broke out in 1982.
The panel, chaired by Callum Cowx, who served in the Royal Navy, the Army and the police, found all allegations against Mr Adderley proven, saying they found “his audacity to be quite staggering”, adding that he had lied over many years with “arrogant temerity”.
The misconduct hearing in Northampton heard Mr Adderley wore a South Atlantic Medal, awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands conflict, that was deemed “110%” fake by a Ministry of Defence medal expert.
Mr Adderley claimed he had 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 that calculation.
He also claimed on his CV that he had attended the prestigious Britannia Royal Naval College for four years, despite his application being rejected.
He had also claimed to have seen active service during his naval career, had been a military negotiator in Haiti despite never visiting the country, and that he had been a “commander or a lieutenant”, even though he only achieved the rank of able seaman.
Mr Cowx said the panel would not give fully formed reasons for their decisions on Friday, and they would follow in a written report within five days, but agreed the allegations against Mr Adderley amounted to breaches of honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct.
Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Nick Adderley ( Image: PA)
A statement from Northamptonshire police read: “This morning an independent panel decided that Chief Constable Nick Adderley had breached the standards of honesty and integrity and should be dismissed without notice and placed on the policing barred list. Mr Adderley now has 10 days should he wish to appeal.”
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone and Acting Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet said that while this unprecedented situation put Northamptonshire Police in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, they share a determination to move the Force forward.
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone said: “I respect the Panel’s decision and am grateful for their work on this challenging case, I wish it could have been dealt with more quickly for the sake of everyone involved, but the proper process had to be allowed to take its course. I accept the Panel’s decision that dismissal is the right sanction in this case.”