Police officer wins dismissal appeal

A FORMER detective sergeant wrongly convicted of rape has won a High Court battle over his dismissal from the Nottinghamshire police force.

A senior judge said the case of Trevor Gray was “a long and rather troubling story” and criticised the “sub-standard decisions” taken during police disciplinary proceedings.

Mr Justice Coulson, sitting in London, said he would be “unhappy” if those decisions were used to justify Mr Gray’s dismissal from the police.

Mr Gray was jailed for eight years in May 2012 for sexual assault and rape. His wife traced a witness who gave evidence that led to his conviction being quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2013, and to him being acquitted of all charges at a retrial in March 2014.

A special disciplinary case hearing in September 2012 led to Mr Gray being dismissed from the force for gross misconduct.

The Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) allowed Mr Gray’s appeal against that decision in April 2014, following his retrial and acquittal. But a few days after his reinstatement – without any warning – fresh misconduct proceedings were launched against him, and in August 2014 he was dismissed from the police a second time.

Yesterday Mr Justice Coulson granted Mr Gray’s application for judicial review and said the April 2014 decision in his favour should have been “the final decision”, and there should have been no further proceedings.

The judge refused Nottinghamshire Police permission to appeal, but Mr Gray’s reinstatement will have to wait while they consider asking the Court of Appeal itself to hear the case.