An Essex Police sergeant has been cleared of wrongdoing after being accused of submitting a false overtime claim while acting as an on-call Police Federation representative. Sergeant Richard Lewington faced a gross misconduct hearing over allegations that he had claimed overtime for attending an incident despite not being the designated primary on-call representative at the time. The hearing was held at Colbea Central Colchester Business Centre between October 5 and 8. The panel heard that Sgt Lewington had agreed with the primary on-call representative that he would attend the incident in their place after assistance was requested by the force’s Professional Standards Department. It concluded that he had been properly on duty and was entitled to claim overtime for the hours he worked. The allegations were found not proven, and the panel ruled that Sgt Lewington had no case to answer. Assistant Chief Constable Lucy Morris, who chaired the panel, said: “Where there are allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct, it is right that the evidence is tested and scrutinised. “In this instance, the panel found that Sergeant Richard Lewington had not acted dishonestly or with improper intent. “His attendance to support with the incident in question was found to be proper, and he was entitled to be paid for the work he had carried out.” She added that Essex Police would now support Sgt Lewington following the conclusion of the proceedings.
Originally published by UKNIP.
