WIREDGOV

An Avon and Somerset Detective Sergeant has been dismissed after an investigation into an allegation that he provided false evidence in court.

A misconduct hearing panel heard DS Nicholas Eckland was advised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that the court required an officer to identify the body of a man who had been due to stand trial but had died while on remand at HMP Bristol.

The panel found that DS Eckland attended a pre-trial case management hearing at Bristol Crown Court and misled the court about his personal role in identifying the defendant’s body at the mortuary.

It found that he did not attend the mortuary, had not been personally involved in identifying the deceased, and made assumptions about what he had been told by others.

Our investigation found a case to answer for gross misconduct for breaching the honesty and integrity and duties and responsibilities standards of professional behaviour, which was proven at a hearing held by Avon and Somerset Constabulary this week.

Operations Manager Mel Evans said: “Giving false evidence in a courtroom is a serious breach of the standards expected of officers. DS Eckland was ill-prepared to provide the evidence the CPS required and did not do anything to correct his account once he realised it had been inaccurate.”

Our investigation began in April 2018 after concerns were raised about DS Eckland’s evidence by Avon and Somerset Constabulary. We concluded our investigation in July 2018 and referred the matter to the CPS, which decided not to authorise any criminal charge.