Suspended police chief’s Falklands War medal ‘appears to be fake’ | UK news

Nick Adderley not only wore the controversial medal, but also claimed to have fought in the Falklands War, even though he was only 15 years old when the war began.

A disciplinary committee was told that the medal worn by Nick Adderley since 2010 “appears not to be a valid medal”.

Mr Adderley, who is currently suspended from Northamptonshire The police officer faces a three-day hearing for gross misconduct.

He had previously claimed that the South Atlantic Medal had been awarded to him by his brother, although he had worn the award in a manner that gave the impression that it was his own and that he had therefore served in the Falklands conflict himself.

Mr Adderley is accused of misrepresenting his rank, length of service and achievements in the Royal Navyincluding his application for the post of Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police.

The panel heard that Mr Adderley had claimed he had served in the navy for 10 years and was a veteran of the Falklands War, but in reality he had only served for two years and was only 15 years old when the conflict began in 1982.

John Beggs KC, representing the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC), said it was “ridiculous” that Mr Adderley was trying to explain his “untruths” away as “laziness and sloppiness”.

“This was an outrageous act”

“To claim you have served your country when you are actually 15 years old is an outrageous act for any human being, let alone a senior police officer,” Beggs said.

Mr Beggs also said Mr Adderley’s claims that he served in the Falklands War were “deeply offensive as we know that 255 soldiers died in that war and many more were injured”.

Mr Adderley is also accused of lying about attending the prestigious Britannia Royal Naval College, commonly known as Dartmouth, and serving as a military negotiator in Haiti in 1986, when he would have been just 20 years old.

When questioned by the police watchdog about his claim that he attended Dartmouth, Mr Adderley admitted he had been rejected by the school, but said he had written on his CV that he had studied there for four years because it showed his “ambition”.

Mr Beggs called this response “embarrassing”.

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When asked about his claim in his application that he had worked as a negotiator in Haiti, Mr Beggs said Mr Adderley had replied that he had in fact written a paper on the subject at the time and that his application had been “poorly worded”.

“Enormous exaggerations”

But Mr Beggs told the panel that Mr Adderley’s lies were an attempt to “create a naval military legend that was not true”.

Mr Adderley’s lawyer told the hearing that he denied gross misconduct and rejected the allegation that he had acted dishonestly and with integrity. However, he acknowledged that he had breached the standards relating to duties and responsibilities.

Mr Beggs said Mr Adderley claimed he had been a “commander or lieutenant” during his naval career.

In fact, however, these are “huge exaggerations” and Mr Adderley was only an able seaman before he was discharged after two years of service.

Last year, a press release from Northamptonshire Police mentioned that Mr Adderley had been in the Navy for ten years and served in the Falklands War.

“He caused the false reports”

Mr Beggs said Mr Adderley had seen a draft of the press release and approved it, saying: “Thanks for putting the quote together, that’s great, thank you.”

Mr Beggs said Mr Adderley’s claims that he had “no interest” in his media profile were surprising, given that he had “collaborated” on those very articles. He also said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Mr Adderley had not noticed the false reports.

“He caused the false reports.”

Mr Adderley is expected to testify before the panel this week.

He also faces possible criminal charges after the police watchdog referred a report to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The CPS must now decide on the next steps.