Retired police chief will not have to face misconduct proceedings

A RETIRED Assistant Chief Constable accused of misleading a public inquiry into the shooting of an unarmed man will not face misconduct proceedings.

Allegations against Steven Heywood, who retired from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in 2018, were dismissed by a panel at an online hearing yesterday, as the force was accused of a “fundamental disregard” for everyone involved in the proceedings.

Mr Heywood was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after giving evidence at an inquiry into the death of Anthony Grainger, 36, who was fatally shot by a firearms officer in a car park in Culcheth, Cheshire, in 2012.

The investigation found he may have committed a criminal offence but in November 2018 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to charge him due to insufficient evidence.

The senior officer, who was the gold commander involved in the manhunt for police killer Dale Cregan, faced a gross misconduct hearing for allegedly breaching the force standards of honesty and integrity.

He admitted he did not initially tell the inquiry entries in his firearms log were made retrospectively.

The log, which contained inaccurate information about Mr Grainger’s previous convictions, was alleged to have been made to “retrospectively justify” Mr Heywood’s decision to authorise a firearms operation carried out in the days leading up to Mr Grainger’s death.

But, yesterday, Gerry Boyle QC, representing GMP, said it would be “unfair” to continue as the hearing would not have access to redacted material, including evidence given during closed session at the public inquiry in 2017.