Police commissioner going through probe after asking serving feminine officer to organise photoshoot of him wanting like Putin topless on horseback
A police and crime commissioner is under investigation after reportedly asking a serving female officer to organise a photoshoot on horseback similar to Vladimir Putin‘s topless picture.
Rupert Matthews, the £78,000-a-year police commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland, is said to have sent an ‘unsolicited’ email to the officer asking for help organising the picture for an election campaign.
The message was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which said it found no evidence to indicate a criminal offence may have been committed.
A meeting at Leicestershire County Council on Wednesday will decide how the complaint should be resolved.
His office said had never made any secret of the fact he is extremely frightened of horses.
Vladimir Putin pictured on a horseback in Siberia, Russia in 2013
Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews pictured at a press conference last year
Mr Matthews was first elected as PCC for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in 2021 and was re-elected in 2024 before defecting from the Conservatives to Reform UK in 2025.
A former Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands, he also spent eight years as a unitary authority councillor. He is currently a Parish Councillor in the Leicestershire village where he lives.
He has written a number of books on history, ghosts, cryptozoology, UFOs, paranormal activity.
According to his website he is ‘by profession … a highly regarded historian’ and has been a specialist advisor on films such as Ben Hur, which was remade in 2016.
The report which was leaked to the BBC, will be discussed by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Panel’s complaints sub-committee. It states the complaint was referred to the IOPC on 4 September 2025.
It said Mr Matthews ‘sent an unsolicited email to a police officer within Leicestershire Police, asking her to organise for him to have a photo taken with a horse for his next election leaflet, referencing a photograph of Russian president Vladimir Putin posing shirtless on horseback’.
The IOPC said the complaint related to ‘allegations of intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence and misconduct in public office’.
A spokesman said: ‘The offences were alleged to have happened when a request was made to a serving police officer to participate in promotional election material,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Following a considered assessment of the referral, we returned the matter to the Panel to be dealt with it as it deemed appropriate, as we did not find evidence to indicate a criminal offence may have been committed.’
A spokesperson for his office in Leicestershire said: ‘We can confirm that a report was received relating to an email sent by the police and crime commissioner which was, in line with the requirements of the legislation, referred to the IOPC for assessment in September.
‘The IOPC confirmed that it did not find evidence to indicate a criminal offence may have been committed and returned the matter to the police and crime panel.
‘A very small sub-committee of the panel will now meet to discuss this with Mr Matthews.
‘It is a fact that Mr Matthews has met the officer concerned several times for public engagement purposes.
‘Mr Matthews has never made any secret of the fact he is extremely frightened of horses and this has been mentioned, with good humour, every time a horse or pony has been involved in the event.
‘He would never seek to work with them out of choice.’
Mr Matthews said: ‘The ability of an independent panel to scrutinise the activity of the Police and Crime Commissioner, or any elected representative, is an important part of our democracy.
‘I have always believed that it is extremely important that all elected officials are held to high standards of behaviour and integrity. That includes those holding others to account.
‘Therefore I am both surprised and disappointed that it would appear information in papers, marked as confidential and sent only to members of the Complaints Sub-committee, has been sent to the press the day before this meeting. I can only hazard a guess at the reasons why.
‘Unfortunately, by leaking this information, they have also undermined the wider Police and Crime Panel, Leicestershire County Council and this entire process.
‘A formal complaint has been lodged and an investigation requested. As all elected representatives know, leaking confidential information is a breach of the Members’ Code of Conduct.
‘I have, of course, cooperated fully with the Sub-Committee, but I found it very challenging to recognise their authority and integrity in the circumstances. It is ironic that there was at least one person in front of me asking questions about my behaviour when their own clearly leaves a lot to be desired.’
Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood annoucned in November that PCCs would be scrapped saving the taxpayer at least £100 million.
