Latest news with #Misconduct
Bangkok Post
a day ago
- Bangkok Post
Girlfriend of former abbot arrested in temple fund scandal
Police have arrested a 57-year-old woman, who was a romantic partner of the former abbot of Wat Nakhon Sawan, for alleged involvement in the embezzlement of temple funds. Another arrest warrant was issued for Sarit Chanprathat, 67, formerly known as Phra Thamma Wachiratheerakun (Thid Sarit), who was expected to report to the police on Thursday evening. Phuthinee Kawinpaisarn was arrested on Thursday at a residence in Khu Khot district of Pathum Thani province by police from the Anti-Corruption Division with a warrant issued on Aug 6. She was charged with abetting misappropriation of state assets and misconduct in public office. Monks with ecclesiastical titles receive monthly allowances from taxpayers and are considered public officials. The former abbot, who also served as the ecclesiastical chief of the central plains province of Nakhon Sawan, was accused last month of having a romantic relationship with Ms Phuthinee and embezzling temple funds with her help. The case came to light following widely shared photos of the two embracing while the senior monk was wearing a wig. Investigators found Ms Phuthinee had substantial assets, including cars, valuable jewellery and land plots, despite having no clear sources of income. Thid Sarit, who left the monkhood on July 19, was also accused of secretive affairs with two other women. The investigation revealed that between March 1, 2024 and July 10, 2025, Thid Sarit had ordered a monk residing at the temple, identified as Phra Sataya Phumdetch, to withdraw money from the temple's bank account. Phra Sataya was then told to transfer the money to his account before transferring it to that of Thid Sarit. The total sum withdrawn amounted to 4.1 million baht, police said. Investigators later found a total of 405,000 baht had been transferred from Thid Sarit to Ms Phuthinee. Phra Sataya reported to police to confirm the misconduct, saying he had witnessed Ms Phuthinee coming to visit the former abbot regularly at the temple. Police gathered enough evidence about both the romantic relationship and the misuse of temple funds, leading to arrest warrants being approved by the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases. Thid Sarit was also found linked to suspected financial irregularities in the Nakhon Sawan Buddhist Park project, which has been under way for more than 15 years and is still not complete. The police investigation is continuing.
Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Police officers sacked over 'intimate' sex video scandal
Two Thames Valley police officers have been dismissed following a misconduct hearing last month over a scandal involving an 'intimate' video of a woman Two police officers, based in Cowley, Oxford, have been dismissed over a sex video scandal after a hearing last month found the two guilty of gross misconduct. They were sacked following the hearing. One of the Oxford-based police officers showed an 'intimate' video of a woman he had been having an affair with to a colleague who lied about watching it. PCs John Birch and Daniel Gunston met up while off duty and discussed the sex video. It showed a woman in an 'intimate state', as well as other pictures on Birch's phone. Days later, Gunston shared with his colleagues he had seen an 'interesting video' but denied watching it and said he had briefly seen thumbnails that were hard to make sense of on Mr Birch's phone. The Thames Valley Police Misconduct Hearing held last month heard Birch had 'brandished his phone' and showed Gunston 'at least one of the videos', which showed the woman in an 'intimate state'. The police officers, who became friends before joining the police, were found guilty of gross misconduct and sacked directly after the hearing. The identities of the police officers' were initially kept anonymous but were revealed after they were dismissed. Gunston was a member of a team that won a Police Federation Excellence Award in celebration for its response to a crash which killed a mother and three of her children in 2020. Birch had the consensual sexual relationship with the woman, whose identity has not been shared with the public, in February 2024. In a misconduct interview in March 2024 Birch admitted that he had two videos of himself and the woman engaging in sexual activity. Birch did admit to sharing the description of the videos, stating 'he explained the videos in detail' to Gunston, yet said he did not show the video because he would have been 'embarrassed'. Birch added that Gunston might have seen intimate images of the woman as he was 'waving his mobile phone around.' The panel said that Gunston 'dishonestly denied' having seen the video, despite Gunston telling three supervisors that Birch had shown him the video. Gunston's backtracking on what he had seen on his colleague's phone amounted to 'operational dishonesty', according to the panel. The misconduct hearing concluded that Birch's actions were 'intentional and deliberate' and that he was 'disrespectful' to the woman by showing the video to his friend and colleague. The panel concluded: "The panel considered the outcome which would most appropriately fulfil the purposes of imposing sanctions in the light of the seriousness of PC Gunston's conduct. "Based on the assessment of seriousness that had been carried out, and given the overall circumstances of the case, the panel decided that a final written warning would not satisfy the threefold purpose of the misconduct process therefore the only appropriate sanction in this case is dismissal without notice."
Pembrokeshire Herald
02-05-2025
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Paddleboard tragedy leader was sacked from police for fraud
New details emerge after Cleddau manslaughter case concludes NEW details have emerged about the disgraced paddleboarding instructor jailed over the deaths of four people on the River Cleddau — including the fact she was previously dismissed from South Wales Police for insurance fraud. Nerys Lloyd, aged 39, was sentenced earlier this month to ten years and six months in prison after she admitted four counts of gross negligence manslaughter. The court heard she led a group of paddleboarders into dangerous conditions in Haverfordwest in October 2021, ignoring weather warnings and organising the trip despite flooded river levels. Four people — Morgan Rogers, 24, Nicola Wheatley, 40, Andrea Powell, 41, and Paul O'Dwyer, 42 — died after being swept over a concrete weir. Tragic: Morgan Rogers, 24, Nicola Wheatley, 40, Andrea Powell, 41, and Paul O'Dwyer, 42 died in the incident The fish ramp near County Hall, Haverfordwest (Image: Herald) Now it has emerged that Lloyd had previously worked as a firearms officer with South Wales Police — but was dismissed for dishonesty just weeks before the fatal outing. An Accelerated Misconduct Hearing in January 2022 found Lloyd made a false insurance claim. She submitted a repair bill for £577.55 when the actual cost of repairs was less than £20. Lloyd admitted her actions and received a formal caution for fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006. South Wales Police confirmed that Lloyd had been sacked for breaching professional behaviour standards, and that the matter had only now been made public because criminal proceedings have concluded. Just two weeks after receiving the police caution, Lloyd led the fatal paddleboarding trip on the swollen Cleddau River. Photographs taken after the tragedy showed raging white water at the foot of the weir, where all four victims were pulled under. Sentencing her at Swansea Crown Court, Mrs Justice Dame Mary Stacey said: 'You were unqualified, you ignored warnings, and you showed a shocking lack of judgement.' As we reported last week, Lloyd showed no emotion as she was jailed.
Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Paddleboard instructor who led four to death had been sacked as police officer
Nerys Lloyd led four people to their deaths on a paddleboard tour (Image: PA) A paddleboard firm boss and instructor who led four people to their deaths during "extremely hazardous conditions" on a river had previously been sacked from her job as a police officer, it has been revealed. Nerys Lloyd was sentenced to 10 years and six months behind bars after people on a tour she led of the Cleddau River in Haverfordwest, Wales, tragically died. Disaster struck when the 39-year-old, who was the owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, went ahead with a stand-up paddleboarding tour on the swollen river despite weather warnings being put in place. The outdoor session ended in horror as Morgan Rogers, 24, Nicola Wheatley, 40, Andrea Powell, 41, and co-instructor Paul O'Dwyer, 42, were swept to their deaths by the water. Lloyd had previously been sacked by the police (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE) Lloyd, from Aberavon, was found guilty and sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on April 23 and shocking details of her getting sacked after committing insurance fraud have since been released. The 39-year-old was fired from her role as a firearms officer at South Wales Police after claiming £577.55 from an insurance scheme. She did this despite the real cost being between "in the region of £16 to £20". An Accelerated Misconduct Hearing, in January 2021, saw Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan declare Lloyd had breached professional behaviour standards through her actions. Nerys Lloyd going into court for sentencing (Image: PA) A report said Lloyd "admitted her wrongdoing and immediately apologised for her behaviour, stating it was an error of judgement" and she paid back the money. She also accepted a formal caution for the criminal offence of fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006, on October 19, 2021. Lloyd accepted the caution just two weeks before River Cleddau tragedy. One the deadly day, the group approached the weir, three participants were pulled over the top and became trapped. O'Dwyer, who initially got out of the river safely, re-entered in an attempt to rescue the others, but was immediately dragged over the weir. Co-instructor Paul O'Dwyer died (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE) The firm owner was slammed in court for not making a crucial check despite the weather warnings in place. Lisa Rose, specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service special crime division, said: "This was an avoidable tragedy. Despite going to check the state of the river before departing on the tour, Nerys Lloyd failed to inspect the weir. "The majority of participants had limited experience, and Lloyd was not qualified to take paddleboarders out in such hazardous conditions. There was no safety briefing or formal risk assessments, and the participants were not advised that they would be traversing a weir or instructed on options to get out of the water." A view of Haverfordwest Town Weir during low flow conditions (Image: PA) She was branded a charlatan and a coward by her victims' families, with one grieving husband saying he had waited "three long years" to tell her what he thought of her in court. While another victim's mother told the court her daughter's life was taken for "nothing more than profit".
