Nicholas Walker successfully defends Custody Sergeant after North Wales Police’s longest ever misconduct hearing

July 7, 2021

Nicholas Walker from Exchange Chambers has successfully defended a Custody Sergeant after North Wales Police’s longest ever misconduct hearing which followed a lengthy and complex IOPC investigation.

Sgt Dawson was alleged to have used his Captor Spray unlawfully on 14 detainees over many months when working in Caernarfon Police Station.  The Panel cleared the Sergeant of all gross misconduct allegations and issued him with a warning for misconduct on one matter.

Mark Jones, North Wales Police Federation Secretary and Treasurer said:

“The case in which Nick represented our member was gargantuan. One of the longest, if not the longest, misconduct hearing in North Wales Police history. The sheer volume of documentation and CCTV footage to work through was immense yet Nick was able to grasp the complexities of the case from the start and sort the wheat from the chaff.

“In the lead up and preparation for the hearing, Nick was able to work in a way which instilled the full confidence of our member in him, knowing that all aspects had been considered and a clear plan in place to put forward our members case.

“During the hearing, Nick adopted a style of presenting calmness and collectiveness; taking the panel, figuratively, in to the shoes of our member to give them the opportunity to understand the full circumstances of the working environment of a custody Sergeant.

“In Nick’s closing submissions, the finest I have ever heard, I was incredibly impressed at his ability to pull together the many strands and dimensions to this case, in a way which made a compelling argument in our member’s favour. Clearly, this was successful as testament to the outcome of the hearing.

“I have no hesitation, whatsoever, in recommending Nick as a highly skilled, talented and able counsel who I would gladly work with again knowing he puts our members best interests at the forefront of his work.”

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