NEW TWIST IN COP-GATE
You owe us half a million, ex-law chief told
LURID sex claims which plunged one of Britain’s biggest police forces into a nightmare have taken a new twist as it emerged the service is now trying to recover legal costs amassed in the bitter dispute.
Northumbria Police’s former legal chief, Denise Aubrey, took the force to an employment tribunal alleging she had been the victim of unfair dismissal after her 2014 sacking for gross misconduct.
During the hearing, which Ms Aubrey lost, a panel heard a string of highly embarrassing accusations against the force.
Rumours of affairs between high-ranking officers and lurid allegations that staff used force accommodation behind the Ponteland HQ as “love pads” emerged.
But a panel of experts found in favour of the force, ruling Ms Aubrey was fairly sacked.
Now Northumbria Police is making a costs application against their former employee, in a bid to recoup legal fees thought to be in excess of £500,000.
Ms Aubrey, 56, alleges the claim is unprecedented and something the force never did during her 20-years employed there.
She said: “I confirm that Northumbria Police has brought a costs application against me.
“In my long experience of working for Northumbria Police it never made an application for costs following a tribunal claim, so this is unprecedented.
“It is seeking to recover over £577,000 which it knows I cannot pay.
“My legal costs did not exceed £40,000. I pursued my claim honestly and in good faith.
“I cannot comment further at this stage as there is a legal process and I do not want Northumbria Police to use any comment I make as further evidence against me in its application.”
Northumbria Police confirmed it was pursuing costs but declined to comment further on the matter.
Ms Aubrey worked for the force for more than 20 years and was head of legal services when she was sacked in 2014.
During the tribunal, she made several claims against the force and alleged she was unfairly dismissed because her bosses believed she had been gossiping about affairs between senior officers. Ms Aubrey vehemently denied discussing the affairs. It was also claimed former chief constable Mike Craik, who retired in 2010, had an affair with his assistant chief constable, Carolyn Peacock. The panel was told Ms Peacock’s husband found out about the alleged relationship and punched Mr Craik at a barbecue, before the incident log was wiped and officers were told not to look for it. Married Mr Craik denied the affair. Ms Aubrey was sacked after a meeting on June 6 2013 in which she allegedly urged her staff to resign to cause problems for the-then deputy chief constable Steve Ashman, who is now the force’s top officer. It was also said she spread gossip about the alleged affair and told employees she had worked on the case of a senior officer accused of sexually harassing a secretary. Former Northumbria Police chief consta-
It is seeking to recover over £577,000 whichit knows I cannot pay...I cannot comment further Denise Aubrey
ble Sue Sim, who gave evidence at the employment tribunal, backed Ms Aubrey’s claim that the cost application was unprecedented, confirming she nor her two predecessors had instigated one.
She said: “I can only talk about the previous three chief constables. I worked under Crispian (Strachan) and Mike (Craik) and the other was me.
“And we never went for cost claims for employment tribunals.
“Speaking for myself, the reason was I always viewed employment tribunals – no matter how harmful they were for the organisation – as learning opportunities.”
Cash-strapped Northumbria Police recently announced plans to close nearly all of their station front desks to the public by 8pm, in a move which could see them save around £1.4m a year.
It is understood the force has had to deal with cuts to its budget of £136m since 2010.