Police chief ‘threw stress ball at his colleague’s throat’

A ‘ BULLYING’ police chief threw a stress ball at a colleague and hurled expletives at another, a misconduct panel heard yesterday.

Deputy Chief Constable Matthew Horne is said to have hit Chief Superintendent Carl O’Malley in the throat when he threw the rubber ball – just a few days after pushing him on to a desk.

He also allegedly flew into a rage when he confronted Superintendent Glenn Maleary over the performance of the control room, calling him a ‘ f*** ing ****’. Mr Maleary later said he wished he had arrested his senior colleague for disorder.

The ‘aggressive and domineering’ behaviour occurred when Mr Horne was working with Essex Police. He is currently on secondment to the National Crime Agency. He could lose his job if the panel, convened in Chelmsford, Essex, concludes the three incidents amount to gross misconduct.

Mr Horne is alleged to have shoved Mr O’Malley with two hands, causing him to fall on to a desk, some time between October 2015 and May 2016.

The hearing was told it happened ‘for no apparent reason’ during ‘a conversation about policing matters’. Mr O’Malley was also targeted a few days later when he was in Mr Horne’s office, the hearing was told. Stephen Morley, representing the force, said there was a ‘professional disagreement’ and Mr Horne used force for no apparent reason.

‘Mr Horne picked up a ball on the desk, described as a stress ball, about the size of a tennis ball made from rubbery foam,’ he said. ‘He… threw it at Mr O’Malley, it hit him in the throat. It was thrown quite hard, it hurt, it stung. It left a red mark on his throat area.’

Mr O’Malley did not report the incident because he feared it would affect his career.

Mr Horne has admitted throwing stress balls to colleagues but not at Mr O’ Malley.

The third incident, involving Mr Maleary, is said to have occurred in June 2015 at a car park outside the force control room in Chelmsford, when Mr Horne was an assistant chief constable.

Mr Maleary – who is now with City of London Police – said the confrontation was over the performance of the control room, which he had taken over ten days earlier. The junior officer said he tried to explain the measures he had taken but Mr Horne became increasingly aggressive.

Describing the argument, which happened in front of a four-year-old child, he said Mr Horne stood over him ‘with narrowed eyes and clenched fists’.

His chief allegedly ‘angrily swore’ about the performance of the control room, saying: ‘What sort of f***ing **** are you to let this get in such a mess?’

He added: ‘ You have got 24 f*** ing hours, make every f***ing one count or you are history. I have to go before I punch something.’

Mr Maleary said he had ‘arrested people for that kind of behaviour’, adding: ‘I remember thinking, why didn’t I? Why didn’t I arrest him for section four public order?’

Mr Horne remembers the confrontation but disputes the language used ‘ or the venomous description of this exchange’.

All three incidents are said to have breached the ‘ authority, respect and courtesy’ outlined in the force’s standards of professional behaviour.

Mr Morley added that witnesses from the force will give evidence about Mr Horne’s ‘domineering and aggressive’ behaviour to junior colleagues.

Mr Horne denies the allegations. The hearing continues.

‘I have to go before I punch something’