Paedophile papers ‘in skip by mistake’

CONFIDENTIAL PAPERS relating to paedophiles and their victims ended up in a skip after a police sergeant’s mother-in-law threw them out by accident, a disciplinary hearing was told.

Martin Skirving-Chehab, from Cleveland Police, is accused of breaching professional standards when he took two carrier bags of material home from a police unit for managing sex offenders in Middlesbrough.

The papers contained sensitive documents about 55 offenders, including bank details, addresses, car registration numbers as well as information about victims, statements and CCTV evidence.

The disciplinary panel has heard an inquiry was launched after The Sun ran a story about the leak in June last year, and he told investigators that it had happened due to a “complete fluke” and “an unfortunate set of circumstances”.

Mr Skirving-Chehab, who is 42 and has been an officer for 15 years, was asked to remove the carrier bags from the Sex Offenders Management Unit (Somu) and he took them back to his home in Hartlepool.

The officer received a WhatsApp message from his pregnant wife to say her mother had put the documents in the recycling bin outside.

The hearing, at the Grand Hotel, Hartlepool, has heard that his work book then ended up in a skip outside his home, which was being renovated.

It was found by a dog walker who showed it to his wife and he then passed it on to The Sun which published a story about the security breach.

The paper then returned the documents to the force.

Mr Skirving-Chehab has admitted misconduct but denies gross misconduct.

The hearing continues.