A date has been set for the misconduct hearing of a former Cleveland Police chief, who is accused of making "unwanted sexual remarks" towards a colleague.
Mike Veale stepped down as the force's chief constable in 2019, after he allegedly made unwanted remarks of a sexual nature in October and December 2018 to a colleague. He is accused of breaching “standards of professional behaviour during his time with Cleveland Police".
The gross misconduct hearing was announced in 2021, with the Home Office minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom encouraging police to "speed up [the handling of these misconduct hearings" in February.
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The hearing will begin on Monday, June 26, and is set to continue for five days. The hearing will be held in public and is set to occur at Leonardo Hotel, on Middlesbrough's Fry Street.
During his career, former chief constable Mr Veale led a controversial inquiry into sex abuse claims against the late prime minister Sir Edward Heath when he was in charge of Wiltshire Police. He is accused of breaching “standards of professional behaviour” during his time with Cleveland Police.
In December of last year, Mr Veale took up the position of chief executive officer for the PCC for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, Rupert Matthews, but stepped down only two months later.
Mr Matthews cited "continued negative media coverage" as the reason for this.
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Mr Veale will appear in front of a legally qualified and independent chair, who may rule on a number of outcomes.
Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner has not made a comment on the ongoings, pending the hearing, set to begin in just over a week.
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland says the allegations against Mr Veale are "that Michael Veale, when Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, made unwanted remarks of a sexual nature in October and December 2018 to a colleague, and that this conduct amounted to breaches of the Standards of Professional Behaviour, in particular those paragraphs relating to: Equality and Diversity; Discreditable Conduct, and Authority, Respect and Courtesy."
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