Charges dismissed in police inquiry

A POLICEMAN facing disciplinary action after being accused of gross misconduct over his investigation of child sexual abuse claims against Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins has had four of the six charges against him dismissed.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Whelan, who works for South Wales Police, faced allegations relating to his investigations of the paedophile between June 2010 and March 2012. The police misconduct hearing at the Waterton Centre in Bridgend, South Wales, heard that South Wales Police, which brought the case, had three chances to particularise the allegations against DS Whelan.

After hearing legal argument from DS Whelan’s barrister John Beggs QC and reading written submissions from the force, the panel, chaired by Robert Vernon, ruled that four of the charges should be dropped and directed South Wales Police consider whether it wanted to continue with the remaining two.

Mr Vernon said charge three related to an email received by South Wales Police in its Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) inbox on May 29 2011. Mr Vernon directed Jonathan Walters, for South Wales Police, to consider the authority’s position on the remaining charges overnight.

He said: “We do take the view that the appropriate authority should consider whether it wishes to proceed with (charges) 1b and two in light of the fact that the other allegations have been dismissed by the panel.”

Watkins was jailed for 29 years in December 2013 with a further six years on licence, after admitting a string of sex offences – including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby. The Independent Police Complaints Commission said South Wales Police was given information about Watkins in 2008. The hearing was adjourned to 11am today.