Police sergeant faces misconduct hearing after 'sensitive' materials found near Hartlepool skip

The case against Sergeant Martin Skirving-Chehab, of Cleveland Police, on Monday, November 25, follows the discovery of the evidence in Hartlepool in June 2018.

A statement from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: “We carried out the investigation following a voluntary referral from Cleveland Police concerning the removal and disposal of sensitive material from police premises.

“We concluded our investigation, which included complaints from a number of members of the public, in August 2019.“The material, relating to investigations of a highly sensitive nature dating back to 2016, was found near a skip in Hartlepool by a member of the public in June 2018.

“The member of the public contacted a national newspaper and a reporter handed the materials to Cleveland Police, who referred this matter to us for consideration.“During our investigation we found evidence to suggest that Police Sergeant Martin Skirving-Chehab, who had been in possession of the materials prior to them being found, may have breached the police standards of professional behaviour and concluded that he had a case to answer for gross misconduct. Cleveland Police agreed with that assessment. “The Cleveland Police hearing is scheduled for four days and will determine whether or not PS Skirving-Chehab breached the standards of behaviour expected of a police officer.“The panel overseeing the hearing, which is independent of the IOPC, will take into account the evidence produced during our investigation and hear live evidence to decide what, if any, disciplinary action will be taken.”