A former chief constable showed a sense of entitlement, dishonesty and lack of integrity by having sexual relationships with two subordinate officers, including engaging in sexual activity while on call to lead major incidents, a misconduct hearing has ruled.<\/p>\n
The panel found that the behaviour of Scott Chilton, 53, who retired as chief constable of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight before the hearing, amounted to gross misconduct.<\/p>\n
Chilton<\/a> was found to have had \u201cconsensual sexual relations\u201d when he was a chief inspector or superintendent with a woman identified as Officer A, including while he was on duty. When he applied to be chief constable \u2013 and during his tenure \u2013 he \u201crepetitively and dishonestly\u201d denied this relationship.<\/p>\n The hearing in Eastleigh, Hampshire, was told that a consensual relationship with another woman, Officer B, began within weeks of Chilton becoming chief constable.<\/p>\n He was found to have \u201cabused his position for a sexual purpose\u201d and should have declared the relationship. When it came to light, he \u201cbehaved inappropriately\u201d to Officer B, putting pressure on her to conceal what had happened.<\/p>\n Chairing the panel, Michelle Skeer of His Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said Chilton\u2019s behaviour showed \u201cpersistent dishonesty and lack of integrity\u201d. She said his actions suggested he did not think the rules applied to him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was in the highest position of trust as the most senior officer in the constabulary and ought to have known the foreseeable risk of harm by having a covert relationship,\u201d Skeer said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe repeatedly lied by act and omission about both his relationships with Officer A and Officer B and he knew that this was wrong. His conduct was a serious, deliberate and sustained attempt to mislead \u2026 to subvert any negative impact on himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Skeer said Chilton had been privy to confidential and sensitive information on colleagues, security and national policing matters. \u201cThere was evidence that he was discussing issues which he shouldn\u2019t have been discussing with Officer B during WhatsApp message exchanges.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that Chilton had attempted to bully Officer B into \u201ckeeping quiet\u201d by asking her to \u201cdelete and double delete\u201d their messages and not to go to events that his wife would attend, which showed the power imbalance between them.<\/p>\n She said Chilton had engaged in sexual activity with Officer A while on duty and in silver command, which meant he would have been the officer in charge if a major incident had occurred.<\/p>\n Skeer added that \u201chis actions were driven by his own entitlement\u201d and the \u201cabuse of his position was for personal gain and ultimately his own sexual gratification\u201d.<\/p>\n She said Chilton had acted in a domineering fashion towards his colleagues in an attempt to \u201ccontrol the narrative\u201d in relation to responding to press inquiries about the allegations.<\/p>\n Attention also focused during the hearing on disciplinary proceedings against another prominent Hampshire police officer, the former DCI Roger Wood.<\/p>\n In February 2025 a disciplinary hearing concluded Wood had inappropriate relations with two junior colleagues and would have been dismissed had he not already resigned.<\/p>\n Before his case, Wood claimed to have \u201cdamaging information\u201d about Chilton and during the proceedings stated that the chief had \u201chad affairs\u201d.<\/p>\n John Beggs KC, who presented the case against the former chief constable, said Chilton had discussed using the force solicitor to prevent Wood from speaking to the press, adding: \u201cHe was trying to use his position as a chief constable to advance his own best interests.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Chilton became chief constable in February 2023, there have been about 20 misconduct cases in Hampshire in which officers were accused of various forms of sexual behaviour. About five of these have included behaviour against junior officers<\/a>.<\/p>\n