Nick Adderley: Chief constable told 'pack of lies' about brother's Falklands service, panel hears

Sky News
Updated ·3-min read

A chief constable who claimed to have served in the Falklands even though he was only 15 at the time also told a "pack of lies" about his brother's involvement in the conflict, a gross misconduct hearing has been told.

Nick Adderley, a suspended Northamptonshire Police officer, made "utterly preposterous" claims about his brother receiving a medal after fighting in the Falklands, the panel heard.

Mr Adderley is facing a gross misconduct hearing amid claims he exaggerated his own rank and length of service and lied about his naval achievements.

He previously claimed the South Atlantic Medal (SAM) he had been pictured wearing since at least 2012, was given to him by his brother Richard when he emigrated to Australia in 2008.

The SAM was awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands conflict.

But John Beggs KC, representing the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) told the hearing Richard Adderley did not embark for the Falklands until 2 July 1982, about three weeks after hostilities ceased.

The misconduct panel previously heard from a Ministry of Defence medal office expert that a SAM allegedly worn by Nick Adderley on a number of occasions since at least 2012 was "110 per cent" a fake.

Mr Beggs claimed the chief constable's brother was not entitled to wear the SAM with rosette, and only applied for a SAM under a change in criteria for applicants put in place in 2015.

The panel heard it was applied for in October last year - 10 days after Nick Adderley received a notice of investigation from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Mr Beggs said: "Mr Adderley asserted in interview that his brother went to the Falklands on the HMS Hermes. He repeats that, but in fact he wasn't.

"How plausible is it that a brother wouldn't know if his brother had served in the conflict? It is something you would know with exquisite detail."

He also contested the chief constable's claims that his brother received the medal a few weeks after arriving in the mess hall "in a box from some lads with his name and service number on it".

"What would he have been awarded it for, and why would some lads be giving him the medal?" the KC asked.

"It is utterly preposterous, and it is a pack of lies in which unfortunately a chief constable has engaged.

"Everywhere you look, there are inconsistencies."

The panel heard last month that Mr Adderley had also claimed to have served in the navy for 10 years and to have been a Falklands war veteran, when, in reality, he had served for only two years and was only 15 when the conflict began in 1982.

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Matthew Holdcroft, representing Mr Adderley, said his client was simply proud of his older brother's military service, wore the medals he was gifted by him, and that "it isn't unusual for a younger brother to consider that which an older brother tells them to be true".

The misconduct hearing took a three-week break at the end of May after Mr Adderley's defence team accused the panel of bias and put forward an application for them to be recused.

The application was rejected and the hearing resumed on Thursday.

The hearing continues on Friday.

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