Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Nick Adderley found GUILTY of gross misconduct

Mr Adderley was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour at the accelerated gross misconduct hearing, that found he misrepresented his military service on multiple occasions and wore a South Atlantic Falklands medal to which he was not entitled.

Legally Qualified Chair Callum Cowx read out the findings of the three-man panel – comprising Mr Cowx, former Chief Constable of Merseyside Police Andy Cooke and member James Maund.

They sat to decide if Mr Adderley had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in honesty and integrity, discreditable conduct and duties and responsibilities.

Mr Cowx said: “This is most obviously gross misconduct. On the balance probability we find all of the allegations are proved. The facts of breaches of honesty, integrity and honourable conduct. The panel find the evidence overwhelming. Whichever way this panel looked at this evidence we came to the same conclusion.”

Delivering the findings Mr Cowx said Mr Adderley has been a ‘no-nonsense man of action’ who rose through the ranks and had a ‘genuinely fascinating career’.

The panel felt it could have been a feeling of ‘inadequacy’ that drove him to embellish his achievements.

The panel will retire to deliver their sanction with three options available for gross misconduct: • Final written warning • Reduction in rank• Dismissal without notice – this outcome has the additional consequence of being included on the barred list which means he would be unable to work for any other UK police force.

If dismissed, Mr Adderley has the right to appeal the outcome to a Police Appeals Tribunal. The only further avenues open would be to subject the finding to a Judicial Review.

Mr Adderley was suspended on full pay on October 16, 2023, from his £176,550-a-year job to allow for an investigation into his conduct when he allegedly misrepresented his military service and wore a South Atlantic Medal that he claimed was given to him by his brother Rick when he emigrated to Australia.

The former Chief Constable had been photographed on multiple occasions wearing the medal awarded to Falklands War veterans, but an expert witness who examined the medal declared it ‘110 per cent’ a fake.

An initial complaint was handled by the office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire Crime Commissioner (PFCC) and then handed over to the IOPC for a full investigation.

Yesterday, the hearing was told the Adderley’s brother had only applied to the MOD for the South Atlantic Medal last year, just 10 days after ‘Reg 17’ notice from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had landed on his desk questioning him about his war service.

Adderley has been paid more than £117,700 over the course of his suspension since October last year.