Plebgate Row: Police Did 'Mislead' Public

The officer who led an internal inquiry into comments by three officers about the “Plebgate” row has said Andrew Mitchell deserves an apology.

Chief Inspector Jerry Reakes-Williams told MPs he felt comments by Police Federation representatives had caused the public to be “misled”.

Although he insisted he did not believe they lied, when asked if Mr Mitchell was owed an apology, he said: “Certainly I do.”

Giving evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee, he added: “I think the result was that the public were misled but I do not think it was a deliberate attempt to mislead.”

Mr Reakes-Williams is the first witness at a tense committee session looking at the affair, which has now rumbled on for more than a year.

His evidence is focused on a meeting held between the Federation reps and the former Tory whip last October shortly before he quit.

Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones have been accused of trying to discredit the politician after the talks.

The internal police investigation into their comments found they had no case to answer for misconduct or gross misconduct.

But a report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) last week questioned their “honesty and integrity”.

David Cameron and the Home Secretary Theresa May have led calls for the officers to say sorry since the watchdog issued its findings.

However, although the officers issued a statement this week admitting “poor judgement”, there was no direct apology to Mr Mitchell.

He had always admitted arguing with police last September as he tried to cycle through the main gates of Downing Street.

But he denies calling officers “plebs” during the altercation and claims he has been smeared in a bid to “toxify” the Tories and ruin his career.

The affair has escalated into an issue about trust in the police as a whole and prompted calls for officers to be constantly recorded.

 

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Plebgate Row: Police Did 'Mislead' Public