Former Aylesbury police chief Gez Chiariello sacked for '˜despicable behaviour'

Mr Chiariello, who has been suspended for the past ten months, will now lose his job as Milton Keynes area police commander, and salary immediately. Prosecutor Gerard Boyle QC told a special police misconduct hearing which was held yesterday (Thursday) in Kidlington, Oxfordshire how the shamed superintendent waged a personal war against a former lover after they split up.

He described how Mr Chiariello got a close female friend to pretend to be a reporter from the Sun newspaper to spread malicious lies about his ex-girlfriend. The “close female friend” was revealed as Milton Keynes Council taxi and regulatory licencing officer Liz Hodgkinson.

Both she and Mr Chiariello were interviewed by police in September over the incident and both received early warning notices for harassment.

Ms Hodgkinson was referred to as Miss B throughout the hearing, during which Mr Boyle described Mr Chiariello as a liar, adding that when interviewed about his behaviour “he lied over and over again.”

It was revealed that he made numerous phone calls to “Miss B” persuading her to pretend to be from the Sun and call his ex-girlfriend’s new boss.

After making the calls, Miss B sent a message to the police chief saying: “Got her! They are worried. Said all the things we talked about.”

He replied: “Can’t wait to get an update on that. Perfect timing with me being in with the legal team.”

Earlier Miss B had told Mr Chiariello in a phone message: “I can’t wait for her to experience even a tiny piece of what she done.”

He then replied: “It starts with MK Act, next her job, then the press.”

Mr Boyle told the hearing: “The facts show that the officer (Supt. Chiariello) had an express determination to cause Miss A (his ex-lover) damage.”

He said Mr Chiariello even ordered his friend Miss B to monitor his ex-lover’s Facebook messages every 15 or 30 minutes, saying: “You have to realise how important it is.”

The hearing was delayed for more than an hour and the press ordered to leave the room while Mr Chiariello appealed for it to be held in private.

His request was eventually refused.

Defending Chiariello, John Beggs QC told the hearing that the WhatsApp messages had been “drivel.”

He said: “Miss A, the former lover of the superintendent, promised to promptly bring him down and ruin his career and it looks like she has set out to do just that and continue in that vein.”

In April this year Mr Chiariello was given a final written warning after three cases of misconduct were proven against him.

In one of them he called Milton Keynes taxi driver Jas Puni a “cocky t**t” during an off duty dispute.

In another incident he breached force protocol and made “inappropriate” comments to a colleague.

The hearing concluded that Mr Chiariello had breached the standards of professional behaviour in the following ways:

> Orders and Instructions by failing to abide by a Lawful Order.

> Honesty and Integrity by failing to act with the integrity expected and lying during the course of his interview.

> Discreditable Conduct by behaving in a manner likely to bring discredit on the police service and/or undermine public confidence in it.

Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said: “Supt Chiariello was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct following a special case hearing heard by Chief Constable Francis Habgood.

“We expect the highest professional standards from all of our officers and today it was proven that Supt Chiariello had breached a number of these standards.”