Top officers suspended over ‘assault’ on woman at police retirement do
TWO senior policemen have been suspended after a woman was allegedly assaulted at their boss’s retirement party.
One of those being investigated is believed to be a chief superintendent, while the other is of a similar rank.
The probe centres on behaviour at the leaving do for £138,500-a-year Chief Constable Julian Williams at Gwent Police’s HQ in Cwmbran, South Wales, where free drinks were said to have been on offer.
A source said all high-ranking officers from the 1,300- strong force were invited to the bash, along with Matt Jukes, the chief constable of South Wales Police.
He was said to have seen the ‘aftermath of the incident’ in which a female officer was allegedly sexually assaulted at the end of the event. The source said: ‘The last thing you expect is a crime at a chief constable’s leaving party where all the senior officers would have been there.
‘A lot of police leaving dos are a bit boozy and this was no different – but Julian Williams is a good chief and this will really upset him. He wouldn’t want this linked to his name.’
The two suspended officers were named locally last night as Chief Superintendent Mark Warrender, 50, and Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Marc Budden, 45. Other officers were also said to have been accused of misconduct but have not been suspended after protesting their innocence.
Mr Warrender joined Gwent Police in 1996 and is listed on the force’s website as head of CID. He is also the chairman of the Gwent branch of the Superintendents’ Association and has regional responsibility for equality, hate crime and cohesion.
Mr Warrender is understood to have separated from wife Helen, also 50. She confirmed yesterday he was no longer living at the marital home, but declined to comment further. Mr Budden joined the constabulary in 1993, and was in charge of neighbourhood policing, partnerships and uniform operations before rising to the role of temporary assistant chief constable, according to the Gwent Police website.
Retired chief constable Mr Williams, 53, spent two years in the top role at the force, having joined five years ago after 25 years with South Wales Police. Avon and Somerset Police has been tasked with the investigation, which is being managed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. No arrests have yet been made.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: ‘We’re carrying out an investigation into an allegation of the sexual assault of a woman on June 28, 2019 made against a serving officer at Gwent Police. The officer has been suspended while this investigation is carried out.
‘A second serving Gwent police officer has been suspended while our professional standards department investigate an allegation of misconduct in public office. Both are senior officers.’
A South Wales Police spokesman said: ‘Matt Jukes is not currently recorded as a witness in relation to the incident.’
‘Leaving dos are a bit boozy’