A police chief who quit over allegations of having sex while on duty and failing to disclose a relationship with another officer is facing a disciplinary hearing.
Scott Chilton retired as chief constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary last April after the police watchdog said it was investigating alleged gross misconduct following claims made in a separate tribunal.
Yesterday the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Mr Chilton had a case to answer for allegedly ‘having sex with an officer while on duty before becoming chief constable’, lying about the relationship to senior figures and ‘abusing his position for a sexual purpose’ by embarking on a second relationship with an officer while he was in charge of the force.
IOPC’s director Derrick Campbell said: ‘Any allegations involving officers abusing their position for a sexual purpose are taken extremely seriously.
‘At the end of our investigation, we found evidence to indicate that [his] conduct may have breached the police standards of professional behaviour.
‘We have decided Mr Chilton should face a disciplinary hearing.
‘It will now be for the Police and Crime Commissioner to arrange these proceedings in due course, where a disciplinary panel will then determine whether the gross misconduct allegations are proven.’
Scott Chilton retired as chief constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary last April after the police watchdog said it was investigating alleged gross misconduct
Allegations against Mr Chilton emerged in February during a misconduct hearing for former detective chief inspector Roger Wood, who was accused of having sex with junior colleagues.
He attempted – unsuccessfully – to defend himself by telling his tribunal: ‘Well, the chief constable had an affair.’
At the time, Mr Chilton was the national police lead for investigations and tactics, training and equipment after becoming chief constable in February 2023.
He had previously served as the chief constable of Dorset, having been a police officer for 33 years.
As part of his role, Mr Chilton sat on the force’s disciplinary hearings and often issued strongly worded statements when officers were found guilty of misconduct. No date for a hearing has yet been set.