Now officer faces a Met inquiry
THE former Scotland Yard detective who spoke out yesterday now faces an anti-corruption inquiry after being accused of holding on to sensitive evidence after his retirement and using it to smear Damian Green.
Neil Lewis, who said he was sure the First Secretary of State had accessed porn on his work computer, will have infuriated Met Commissioner Cressida Dick. She strongly believes the police duty of confidentiality is sacred. The Directorate of Professional Standards will now examine whether any misconduct or criminal offences have taken place. As Mr Lewis is retired, however, there is no disciplinary sanction open to the Met unit and the relatively low ranked computer specialist is unlikely to face criminal charges.
Despite this, the former counter-terrorism officer can still be investigated for misconduct in public office and breaching confidentiality rules. But he cannot be ordered to attend any subsequent hearing that would determine whether claims are proven and impose a penalty. One senior officer questioned whether retaining a notebook and evidence bag from the illfated 2008 leak inquiry could even be seen as theft. But Mr Lewis is not in public office and his disclosures, while highly embarrassing and damaging, do not endanger national security.
A Met spokesman said: ‘Confidential information gathered during a police inquiry should not be made public. As is routine for cases of this nature... the circumstances will be looked at by the Directorate of Professional Standards.’