Facing axe, police watchdog who had affair with woman at centre of Nick ‘whitewash’
A SENIOR official at the police watchdog behind the ‘whitewash’ probe into the ‘Nick’ VIP sex ring inquiry has been suspended over an affair with a junior. Jonathan Green, 50, the £140,000-a-year interim deputy director-general of the Independent Office
is under investigation and facing the sack over his relationship with Kimberley Williams, 30.
While there were other senior staff also making decisions, Miss Williams was a lead investigator of the IOPC’s controversial probe which cleared five Scotland Yard officers of misconduct during Operation Midland. The £2.5million inquiry saw senior politicians wrongly accused of paedophilia and murder based on the lies of fantasist Carl ‘Nick’ Beech.
Mr Green, who is understood to be married, had been in overall charge of the IOPC probe and has been fiercely defensive of its findings in the face of criticism from judges, politicians and retired police chiefs. An independent law firm has now carried out an inquiry into Mr Green ‘for failure to declare a conflict of interest regarding a relationship’, the watchdog revealed yesterday. A decision on his future is expected shortly.
The affair between Mr Green and Miss Williams deepens the scandal surrounding the watchdog’s probe into Operation Midland.
MPs have already announced a parliamentary investigation into the running of the IOPC.
Despite Midland being regarded as one of the most disgraceful police investigations in living memory, the watchdog absolved detectives and ruled not a single officer should face misconduct proceedings.
Mr Green joined the IOPC last year from his role at the General Dental Council, having previously worked at the Royal College of Nursing.
In October, he wrote on Twitter that he ‘disagreed’ with criticisms that the IOPC had not held police officers to account over Midland.
Referring to suggestions police improperly raided the homes of sushad
‘Bad judgment of senior officials’
pects, he said: ‘Although mistakes were made, no evidence officers deliberately misled a judge in search warrant apps.’
Miss Williams was given a key role in the vastly complex watchdog inquiry when she had only a few years’ experience. She has a degree in international political studies from Middlesex University, and also gained a master’s degree in intelligence and international security from King’s College London in 2013.
The revelation such a young official was leading inquiries on such a sensitive case raised serious questions about the probe by the IOPC.
Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who was falsely accused of being a serial child killer, has branded the inquiry and lack of action against officers as a ‘whitewash’.
Last night he said news of the affair between the investigator and her superior was ‘tawdry’. He added: ‘In the light of the cover-up of police wrong-doing and the bad judgment of senior IOPC officials, I now call for its report on Operation Midland to be withdrawn as it can no longer be trusted.’ He also called for the MPs’ inquiry into the IOPC to ‘search out the cover-up’.
The IOPC is under enormous pressure after retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques told the Daily Mail in July police searches during Midland may have broken the law. He suggested detectives used false evidence to obtain search warrants to raid the homes of VIPs including Mr Proctor.
Five officers, including ex Met deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse, have been cleared of misconduct, four without even being interviewed.
Misconduct allegations around Midland were first referred to the IOPC’s predecessor – the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) – in 2016 but the investigation was not completed until July, when Beech was jailed for 18 years.
The IOPC said last night: ‘The allegations were put to Mr Green on October 17. He was suspended on November 6. An investigation... has been completed for failure to declare a conflict of interest. Next steps are being considered at a hearing to be held shortly. Relationships between colleagues are not a breach of policy, but they must be declared by directors and above so any potential conflicts of interest can be assessed.’
Miss Williams was contacted for comment through the IOPC, but was yet to respond last night.