Met police commander ‘headed a boys club of bullying’

A BOROUGH commander in the Met Police presided over a ‘boys club’ of bullying and bogus expenses claims, a hearing has been told.

Chief Supt Paul Martin is accused of claiming £5,500 for drink and flight upgrades using a police credit card in another officer’s name and belittling female officers, including one pregnant colleague.

Martin, West Area Borough Commander for Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon, faces gross misconduct claims along with two male officers and one female. It is claimed the male trio bullied junior colleagues.

A misconduct hearing was told that Martin like to ‘bellow’ at one female officer, saying she should make his tea and porridge then wash up.

He was also heard saying one colleague’s pregnancy made her ‘hormonal’ and a ‘ **** ing nutter’, it was claimed.

Martin is said to have approved his own expenses of £5,500 for

‘He bellowed at a female officer’

a week-long conference in Florida, which were paid for on a police card in the name of Sgt James Di-Luzio, also facing a gross misconduct claim.

Counsel for the Met Police Commissioner told the hearing Martin said using the wrong card was an honest mistake.

The tribunal was also told that Martin asked a female officer to smear a colleague he suspected of ‘grassing’ on him, saying the officer had harassed a colleague who had killed himself. But she refused.

The hearing heard that Martin also failed to declare a conflict of interest when interviewing his close friend Chief Inspector Davinder Kandohla for promotion to superintendent.

Kandohla faces a claim of gross misconduct and his police constable wife Karina faces the same claim for allegedly not challenging him. All four officers deny gross misconduct.

The hearing continues.