Three officers accused of giving misleading evidence over the “plebgate” scandal will have to face a fresh inquiry and could face contempt of Parliament charges if they refuse to apologise to MPs.
The new probe comes after a scathing report by the Commons home affairs select committee (HASC) accused the trio of “obstructing the truth” when they initially appeared before the committee.
Police Federation representatives Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones were all told they would face no action for misconduct over press statements they made following a meeting with former chief whip Andrew Mitchell in the West Midlands in October last year.
The meeting was in response to an alleged foul-mouthed confrontation Mr Mitchell had with police in Downing Street the previous month where it was claimed he referred to the officers as “plebs”.
But the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) yesterday announced it would hold its own investigation into the officers’ behaviour after finding “procedural irregularities” in the way the initial inquiry was dealt with.
Sgt Jones and Det Sgt Hinton have also been called to appear before HASC for a second time on Tuesday, after being accused of giving “misleading” answers to MPs on October 23. The committee wants the pair “to apologise for misleading it” or face disciplinary action.
The committee’s report said the officers’ evidence was “possibly deliberately” misleading, lacked credibility and was contradictory.
It also hit out at their refusal to apologise for the actions, given the effect it had on Mr Mitchell’s personal life and career. He resigned a month after the altercation took place at the Downing Street gates.
“If evidence was given in a similar manner by three serving police officers to a court of law it is our view that such testimony would undermine a case and lead a jury to reach an unfavourable conclusion as to the credibility of the evidence given by those police officers,” the report read.
The report also targeted three chief constables from Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands police, who were said to have shown “an absence of leadership” while the three representatives from their forces were embroiled in the affair.