Two former officers sentenced for lying and destroying evidence
Two former Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers have been given a suspended sentence for perverting the course of justice after lying about the circumstances surrounding a police pursuit.
Former PC Neil Churchley, 40, and former PC Michael Salmon, 50, who were both attached to MPS Operations, were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday (February 28).
Churchley was given a six-month sentence suspended for 12 months, Salmon received eight months, also suspended for a year.
They previously pleaded guilty at the same court in January to perverting the course of justice.
The officers were on patrol in a police car in Hayes on July 5, 2023, when they came to be involved in a pursuit with a motorcycle which failed to stop.
The pursuit concluded with the passenger sustaining injuries to her leg.
In the subsequent reporting of the incident, the former officers misled their colleagues as to who was driving the police vehicle at the time of the pursuit.
Former PC Salmon went on to destroy the body-worn video cameras belonging to both officers, which may have contained evidence of the pursuit. Partial remains of the cameras were subsequently recovered from his garden, the MPS said.
Some hours later, PC Churchley reported this matter to his line manager, who in turn referred it to the Directorate of Professional Standards.
PC Salmon was arrested at his home address on July 6, 2023, for perverting the course of justice and theft. He was interviewed under caution at a police station and was suspended from duty on the same day. He remained suspended until his retirement in September 2023.
Former PC Churchley was interviewed under caution on July 9, 2023. He was placed on restricted duties until he resigned in November 2024.
They were both charged with perverting the course of justice on October 9, 2024.
An accelerated misconduct hearing held on Friday, January 31, found that they breached Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct at the level of gross misconduct.
They would have been dismissed without notice if they were still serving and have been placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
Superintendent Martin Kirby, lead officer for MPS Operations Taskforce, said: “Both individuals acted in a way which was intended to pervert the course of public justice. They let their colleagues and the public down.
“This is not the type of behaviour we expect or will tolerate from our officers, and appropriate action has been taken.”