Disgraced police chief who lied about Navy career ‘undermined' Harry Dunn case

Telegraph

7 hours ago

A disgraced police chief who lied about serving in the Falklands War had a 'detrimental impact' on the Harry Dunn investigation, a report has found.
Nick Adderley, a former Northamptonshire chief constable, has been reprimanded for making false statements to the media and blamed for causing an 'avoidable' breakdown in relations between the force and Mr Dunn's family.
Mr Adderley, 58, was sacked last year after it was revealed he had exaggerated his naval career and rank.
Suspicions were raised when the police chief was seen wearing a Falklands medal, despite having been only 15 when the conflict began. A Ministry of Defence medal expert went on to call the South Atlantic Medal, awarded to British military personnel who served in the Falklands, '110 per cent' fake.
Adderley has now received further criticism in a report on the police investigation into the death of Mr Dunn, who was killed when a car driven by Anne Sacoolas, a former US State Department employee, struck the 19-year-old motorcyclist in August 2019.
Sacoolas eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving via video link at the Old Bailey following three years of the Dunn family campaigning for justice, after she was able to leave the UK when diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf.
Among other failings, Adderley was reprimanded by the Foreign Office for giving inaccurate information to the press about suspect Anne Sacoolas's immunity status after she had left the UK.
The same report also found that police had prioritised Sacoolas's welfare over a 'prompt and effective investigation', a review concluded.
The independent review, commissioned by Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet, said there was a lack of coordination and adherence to professional standards guidelines amongst senior members of the force under Adderley's leadership.
'The review found that while the investigation was well handled, elements of senior leadership prioritised the suspect's welfare over a 'prompt and effective investigation', it said. 'There was a lack of coordination and adherence to APP [professional standards guidance].'
It continued: 'This is evidenced during an interview when Chief Constable Adderley suggested that Anne Sacoolas could make decisions around waiving her diplomatic status, which she couldn't.
'According to the FCO [Foreign Office], diplomatic immunity belongs to the sending state. This prompted the FCO to contact Northamptonshire Police and request CC Adderley did not repeat erroneous statements.'
Adderley was also criticised for 'discrepancies' during a press conference in October 2019 on the Dunn case and for failing to send what he wished to say to the senior investigating officer for fact-checking, prior to the event.
The review said the breakdown in relations between the Dunn family and the force because of Mr Adderley's actions was 'avoidable'.
It highlighted incidents, such as a tweet from the disgraced ex-police chief, which showed him react to the family's intentions to sue Sacoolas in the US by saying: 'How sad but how predictable.'
A total of 38 recommendations were made in the report, including that the force should adopt an 'investigative mindset' at serious road crashes and review how it recovers material from the scene of a collision.
The report also said concerns for the Sacoolas' welfare should not have prevented officers from arresting her.
It read: 'A report has been prepared and concerning the consideration of arrest, the (Serious Collision Investigation Unit) lead is of the view that the decision not to arrest is not explained in enough detail and the overriding factor in the decision appears to be the welfare of the suspect and her suffering from shock, with little to no consideration around the full necessity test under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.'
Addressing the role Mr Adderley played in the force's failings, Mrs Charles continued: 'I remain so angry at Adderley to this day… I am glad Adderley is long gone and will never be able to police again.'
The mother, who was awarded an MBE in the King's birthday honours list for services to road safety, added: 'Today's review report confirms what we have known for years - that we were failed by the very people we should have been able to trust.
'Harry was left to die on the roadside. Sacoolas was not arrested, even though the police had every power to do so. She fled the country, and they didn't tell us. These are failures no family should ever have to endure.'
Assistant Chief Constable Emma James issued an apology to the family on behalf of the force, saying: 'First and foremost, on behalf of Northamptonshire Police I want to apologise to Harry's family for what is now clear was a failure on our part to do the very best for the victim in this case, Harry, and his family who fought tirelessly in the years that followed to achieve justice for him.
'The picture which emerges is one of a force which has failed the family on a number of fronts, and we hope the findings, which are troubling in several respects, will provide some answers to questions which the family will have wanted to know in the years that have passed.
'I hope some good comes out of this. Much of the learning which the force has taken from this has already been put in place and we make a number of specific recommendations for best practice at a national level.
'We have taken a deep look at ourselves and hope the transparent way we have identified failings of the past will go some way to re-building the confidence of Harry's family and friends going forward as well as the wider public at large.'