Police misconduct appeals
Police misconduct hearings
Following the completion of the Government’s review into the process of police officer dismissals, a number of reforms were introduced to strengthen the disciplinary system. The reforms are introduced in the Police (Conduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, which has replaced the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020. The Police (Conduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 came into effect on 7 May 2024 and governs disciplinary matters involving police officers and special constables. There are some outstanding cases that were being progressed before the 2024 regulations came into force, which will continue to proceed under the previous 2020 regulations.
Details of upcoming hearings will be published with at least five days’ notice on the Metropolitan Police website. The regulations state that police gross (serious) misconduct hearings are held in public. The Police (Conduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 changed the composition of misconduct panels for non-senior officers.
Under the 2024 regulations hearing must be conducted by a panel of three people including:
- a Chair appointed by the Chief Officer (in London this is the MPS Commissioner)
- two Independent Panel Members appointed by the local policing body, (in London this is MOPAC)
MOPAC’s existing legally qualified chairs (LQCs) will continue to chair the backlog of cases being heard under 2020 regulations. For cases being heard under 2024 regulations the legally qualified person is there as an advisor only. In this respect LQCs will adopt the role of legally qualified advisors (LQAs).
MOPAC is responsible for the recruitment and training of the legally qualified advisors (LQAs) and the independent panel members (IPMs). The IPMs adjudicate police misconduct hearings for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Police, British Transport Police (BTP) and the City of London Police. LQAs and IPMs are people who have no relationship with the MPS. IPMs assist the Chair in determining a fair and evidence-based judgment about a particular police officer's conduct and agreeing an appropriate sanction. LQAs do not sit in a decision-making capacity. Their role is to advise the panel on legal and procedural issues relating to the misconduct proceedings
MOPAC is responsible for the appointment of IPMs to adjudicate on misconduct hearings and the appointment of LQAs to support the panel in misconduct proceedings.
MOPAC - Process to select and appoint panel to hearing
Police Appeal Tribunals (PATs)
Police Appeals Tribunals (PATs) hear appeals against the findings of gross (serious) misconduct brought by police officers or special constables. PATs are governed by Police Appeals Tribunal Rules 2020. The 2020 rules set out what may be published in respect of appeal hearings.
Members of the public can attend appeal hearings as observers but are not allowed to participate in proceedings. MOPAC is responsible for appointing the chair and a layperson to conduct the proceedings.
The make up of PATs is set out in Schedule 6 to the Police Act 1996 (including amendments).
Where the appellant is not a senior officer, the tribunal consists of:
- a legally qualified chair taken from a list maintained by the Home Office
- a serving senior officer
- a layperson.
Where the appellant is a senior officer, the tribunal consists of:
- a legally qualified chair taken from a list maintained by the Home Office
- HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary or an Inspector of Constabulary nominated by the Chief Inspector
- the Permanent Secretary to the Home Office or a Home Office Director nominated by the Permanent Secretary.
The Chair is appointed by MOPAC from a list maintained by the Home Office.
Independent members may be drawn from the MOPAC list of IPMs to serve as laypeople on PATs. No independent member will be appointed to a tribunal if they have already heard the same case at a misconduct hearing. Under the 2020 PAT rules, a layperson member replaces the retired officer position on the tribunal.
Booking to attend
To attend an appeal hearing, please email us. Places are limited and will need to be booked in advance, preferably at least 48 hours before the hearing. To comply with the rules of attendance, observers are required to provide the following information when booking:
- Name
- Email address
- Contact telephone number.
Upcoming PAT appeals
Legally Qualified Chairs and Advisors
Find information about MOPAC's Legally Qualified Chairs as of 23rd August 2024. Where a Legally Qualified Chair (LQC) is also serving as a Legally Qualified Advisor (LQA) and/or an Independent Panel Member (IPM), this is also indicated next to their name.
Chiew Yin Jones is a barrister with over 25 years' experience in criminal justice and a Legally Qualified Chair for the Police Misconduct Panel for London and the South East Region.
She is Co Vice President of the National Association of Legally Qualified Chairs (NALQC) and a member of the Lay Committee, Royal College of Anaesthetists.
Evis Samupfonda is a non-practising Barrister. She has extensive knowledge in adjudicating professional misconduct hearings. She has chaired fitness to practise panels at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Teaching Council, NHS England and Ministry of Defence.
Evis is a fee paid Tribunal judge. She sits in the First-tier Tribunal of the Social Security Entitlement Chamber and Residential Property Tribunal. Evis also works as a Case Examiner for the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Appointments
- Legal Assessor to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (1994).
- Deputy District Judge (Civil) (1996).
- Legal Adviser to the General Dental Council (2010).
- Legally Qualified Chair of Metropolitan Police Misconduct Hearings (2015).
- Legally Qualified Chair for Police Misconduct Hearings in Wales (2020).
Practice
After working as a barrister in general common law practice for the first 20 years, Chris specialised in civil and family law for the next 20 years. His work is now exclusively as a Judge in the County Courts of Wales and a legal adviser and legal chair in professional misconduct proceedings.
Cameron Brown QC is a practising barrister at Red Lion Chambers, London. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2020. He specialises in complex fraud and international corruption work. Prior to becoming a QC he was appointed as Standing Counsel to the Insolvency Service and A Panel Counsel for the Serious Fraud Office. He also sits as a legal assessor for the HCPC (medical disciplinary hearings) and Legally Qualified Chair for the Lawn Tennis Association and England Golf.
Darren Snow LLB(Hons) LL.M(City) MCIArb is a practising barrister. He was first appointed as an LQC in the Autumn of 2018 and now sits with MOPAC and the Eastern Region Panel. At the Bar he specialises in crime and regulatory, professional discipline and inquests work. Darren also sits on the Bar’s disciplinary panel and as a Chair on England Boxing’s Safeguarding Panel. He is an accredited mediator and also a qualified solicitor. Darren is a visiting lecturer at the University of Law.
Hilary Norris has been a solicitor since 1999, a fee paid Employment Judge since 2009 and First-Tier Judge (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) since 2017.
She was first appointed to MOPAC as an LQC in 2016.
Hilary is also involved with a number of charities and has recently been appointed as a Vaccine Care Volunteer with St John Ambulance to assist in the administration of the COVID vaccine.
Julian Weinberg qualified as a solicitor in 1985 and has practised in the field of criminal law since then. He previously sat as a Chair for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the General Teaching Council, an Adjudicator for the Solicitors Regulation Authority and as a Case Examiner for the General Optical Council. Julian has also been an Ombudsman for the Financial Ombudsman Service and is a Funding Adjudicator for the Legal Aid Agency.
Julian currently sits as an LQC for the General Medical Council, the General Pharmaceutical Council, the Architects Registration Board and for the Phonepaid Services Agency. He was formerly a Chair at the Healthcare Professions Council but has since been appointed as a Legal Assessor.
Maurice Cohen is a solicitor who qualified in 1988. He previously ran an independent practice in North London.
He has held appointments as a Tribunal Judge in various jurisdictions since 2003.
He has been sitting as a Chair and Legally Qualified Chair of various regulatory organisations since 2008.
Eileen Herlihy has worked part-time as a Tribunal Judge in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber hearing asylum, immigration, EU and human rights appeals since 2000 and since 2019 as a Tribunal Judge in the Social Entitlement Chamber. She holds a number of appointments as a Legally Qualified Chair for various Police Authorities.
Eileen qualified as a Solicitor and spent 20 years in private practice as a commercial property lawyer specialising in office and retail investment and development projects, primarily working in the City. She was also involved in a number of infrastructure projects for the railway industry.
Clare Harrington was called to the bar and practised primarily in employment law for 18 years before being appointed as a District Tribunal Judge in the First Tier Tribunal in 2018. Since 2011 she has also been sitting as a fee paid Employment Judge. She sits as a Legally Qualified Chair on Police Misconduct Panels for forces including the Met, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
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Independent Panel Members
Find information about MOPAC's Independent Panel Members as of 23rd August 2024.
Margie Leong works as a dietitian in an NHS neuro-rehabilitation unit.
Pradeep Agrawal is a Chartered Scientist (CSci) registered with UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Biomedical Scientist. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science (London) and has a Masters in Business Administration (London). He has significant experience in operational management of healthcare services and offers scientific/management skills in strategic development. He has substantial experience in regulatory governance.
Pradeep is a partner/associate/assessor with UK healthcare regulatory agencies (Health and Care Professions Council, General Medical Council, and United Kingdom Accreditation Service) and with professional bodies (Institute of Biomedical Science). He is an Independent Member on misconduct panels for the Mayor of London Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and with Greater London Assembly (GLA) on Mayoral Board appointments. He chairs the Investigation Committee at General Medical Council (GMC).
Martin Pike was appointed by MOPAC as an IPM in 2015. He has over 25 years' experience of complaint investigations in the public sector. This includes working for a London local authority, the Local Government Ombudsman and the Parliamentary Ombudsman. When he retired he was Director of Investigations for the Health Service Ombudsman.
Formerly a school governor and Employment Tribunal Member, Martin has also been an independent member of the General Dental Council Investigating Committee.
Sadhana Patel qualified as a Solicitor in 1995 and practiced in housing law for over 10 years before taking a career break. Currently alongside being an Independent Panel Member, she works as a Legal Consultant and provides management support for a charity. She also works as a lay representative for the Joint Advisory programme (Endoscopy) for the Royal College of Physicians and as a lay representative for Health Education England.
Lorna Beckford is an accomplished Non-Executive Director and Independent Board Member with substantial senior level service in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and senior management and international leadership experience with British Telecom. She is used to operating in diverse business environments, having led cross-functional and international projects in matrix structures.
John Vaughan has over 13 years' experience as an Executive Director of a large, mental health and community foundation trust in London. Prior to his board level experience, John was the Head of Mental Health in a London Strategic Health Authority.
Originally John trained in both general and mental health nursing and gained experience in a number of specialist areas including Mental Health Services for Deaf people, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Forensic Services and Substance Misuse.
Having retired from full-time NHS work in April 2019, John now has a portfolio of part-time roles including:
- Executive Reviewer with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- Education Associate with the General Dental Council (GDC)
- Lay Panel Member with the Bar Tribunal Adjudication Service (BTAS)
- Lay Committee Member with the General Optic al Council GOC).
Appointments
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Biomedical Scientist (retired).
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Education Quality Assurance Inspector, Social Work England.
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Independent Panel Member, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.
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Non-Legal Member, HMCTS Employment Tribunals.
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Panel Adjudicator and Panel Chair, Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.
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Tribunal Chair, Medical Practitioner’s Tribunal Service (General Medical Council).
Bernadette Leverton is a Company Secretary by qualification, and has worked in a number of organisations of varying sizes as Company Secretary and / or Finance Director. She served for five years as a Non Executive Director of an NHS Mental Health Trust and has been sitting for the past 27 years as a Non-Legal Member of the Employment Tribunals. She is currently in her second term of office as an IPM.
Bernard Nawrat had a long career in HR with Southwark Council, latterly as HR Director managing the whole range of HR activity as well as leading major change programmes. Since the summer of 2015, taking early retirement, Bernard has worked as an Executive HR Consultant primarily in the public sector, working on reorganisations, recruitment, pay and grading strategies etc. Bernard has been an IPM since 2018.
Henry Gordon is in his second decade of practice as a criminal barrister in London. He prosecutes and defends. He has been sitting on police misconduct hearings for numerous police authorities since January 2015.
Clive Manning was appointed as an Independent Panel Member in 2014. Clive has worked in a range of central government departments, including the Foreign Office, Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. He is a member of the Government Counter Fraud Profession and works as a criminal investigator in the area of serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption. In his current role, he works closely with a wide range of law enforcement agencies, both overseas and in the United Kingdom.
Fiona Bennett has been an IPM for MOPAC since 2015 and has extensive experience working across the MET, British Transport Police, and MOD in police misconduct hearings. She has supported a broad range of cases relating to professional standards of behaviour and so has a good insight on the types of professional standards of police misconduct behaviours that present themselves at formal misconduct proceedings.
Fiona is a Senior HC chartered CIPD professional with over 25 years' experience in HC employee relations practice. She worked for Marks and Spencer in a range of senior HR business partnering roles before specialising in employee relations. She has now broadened her industry portfolio from retail into the professional services arena, and is currently working as a Senior Employee Relations Manager for Pricewaterhouse LLP, UK firm based in London.
Karen Townsend worked as a senior policy professional in the civil service specialising in EU and domestic criminal justice issues. She was appointed as an Independent Panel Member in May 2019 and also sits as a Lay Adjudicator for the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Rachel Ellis has been appointed as a Commissioner at the Criminal Cases Review Commission, where she is responsible for determining whether cases involving potential miscarriages of justice should be considered on appeal.
She has a background in criminal law, having previously worked as a criminal barrister acting on behalf of both the prosecution and defence in a comprehensive range of criminal proceedings.
Rachel sits as a Chair on Fitness to Practise Committees with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. She is also employed as an Ombudsman with the Financial Ombudsman Service and as a Panel Member for the Independent Betting Adjudication Service.
Simon Williams is Head of Human Resources for Alpha Plus Group of Schools (20 nurseries, schools and colleges in the UK and internationally). He has worked in HR for close to 20 years, including previous roles in London local authorities. His HR roles have also included HR in the military and for a national disability charity. He has also been a lay member of employment tribunals since 2010. He is a Chartered Member of CIPD and has an MBA from University of British Columbia Business School in Canada but was born and grew up in London.
Vincent Walker MBE is a retired prison governor, formerly with HM Prison Service of England and Wales. Latterly based for six years in the West Indies seconded to the governments of Anguilla and Montserrat as a consultant advising on prison policy and operations, criminal justice integration and human rights compliance.
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Past appeals
Please see the details of past hearings including outcomes.
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