Court

HANNINGFIELD SPECIAL REPORT:
Police Officer - 'Council Chief Caused Us Dreadful Trouble'
Weds 20th Feb 2013, Yellow Advertiser

A HIGH court judge has stated that the 'reluctance' of two senior council workers to cooperate with police was partially to blame for Lord Hanningfield's unlawful arrest on September 14, 2011.

He made the comment after a police officer testified that council chief executive Joanna Killian and another senior official had caused officers ‘dreadful trouble’ by repeatedly failing to sign their statements.

DS Adrian Thomson said it took Joanna Killian almost two months to finish her paperwork.

Ms Killian was interviewed by police on July 12, 2011, after making a complaint over the former council leader’s use of a corporate credit card.

Handwritten notes were taken during the interview and turned into a statement, which Ms Killian was expected to check and sign.

DS Thomson said: “We had dreadful trouble securing her availability for an appointment.”

He told the court Ms Killian made an appointment himself and a fellow officer to sign the statement on July 20, but cancelled on the day.

He claimed that Ms Killian and the council's executive director of finance Margaret Lee continued to regularly cancel appointments throughout August and into September.

He said: “Despite them knowing it was important to the enquiry, neither of them made themselves very readily available.”

He said they cancelled ‘a number of appointments’ between July 12 and 27.

He said that on July 27, Ms Killian ‘promised’ to deliver typed amendments to her statement by July 29.

He said that by August 1 he had still heard nothing and had to contact Ms Killian again before the amendments were delivered.

On August 9 Ms Killian emailed some changes to be added to the final draft of her statement, which she was due to sign that afternoon.

In the email she referenced the appointment, writing: “Hope this helps for later.”

DS Thomson said that she cancelled the appointment hours later.

He said: “Thereafter Ms Killian did not make herself available until the 7th of September, in-between which dates various officers chased her up.”

He said Ms Lee’s behaviour had been ‘very similar’. He said Ms Lee had made an appointment to sign her statement on August 24 but did not do so.

The pair eventually signed their statements on September 8.

In his ruling on the case, Mr Justice Eady said that had the statements been signed earlier, police may not have arrested Lord Hanningfield.

He said: “The original intention had been to have lord Hanningfield taken out of prison by permission of the Home Secretary for interview, but this was frustrated by delay on the part of two council witnesses.

“I was told that they procrastinated for many weeks over signing and returning their statements. They had also cancelled meetings.

“They only overcame their apparent reluctance to confirm the contents of their drafts on 8 September [2011].”

Hanningfield was released from prison on September 9, 2011.

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “We are disappointed to hear some of the comments made in court as senior officers worked very closely with the police throughout the investigation and have always cooperated fully.

“Suggestions that officers did not make themselves available are not helpful. The matter was taken very seriously and every effort was given to ensuring all the information requested was provided.

“Any officers interviewed as part of the process took the necessary time to ensure that statements were correct and represented the true situation.”

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