Former chief constable guilty of misconduct over affairs with colleagues
Chief Constable Scott Chilton of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary was found guilty of four counts of misconduct for having sexual relations with two colleagues whilst abusing his position. The 53-year-old, who had already retired and received a £50,000 pay-off, was ruled to have been "deliberately dishonest on multiple occasions" and driven by a sense of entitlement. Had he not stepped down, he would have been dismissed.
Chilton had an affair with a sergeant he was mentoring that ended in 2012, and a second affair with a subordinate officer beginning weeks after he became Chief Constable in February 2023. He falsely told the second woman he was divorced and visited her home once or twice weekly. The panel found it "wholly unacceptable" that whilst holding a command position responsible for critical incidents, he engaged in sexual activity, and noted he told the second woman not to attend police events when his wife was present—a sign of the power imbalance he exploited.
- Chief Constable guilty of four misconduct counts for affairs with colleagues
- Had sexual relations while responsible for critical incidents; misled about marital status
- Tribunal would have sacked him but he had already retired
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Scott Chilton was the Chief Constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, the most senior police officer leading the force. He has been found guilty of misconduct for having affairs with two colleagues who were under his authority.
The cases involved relationships with officers subordinate to him, raising concerns about power imbalances. In one instance, Chilton was directly mentoring the officer involved; in the other, he pursued a subordinate beginning shortly after becoming Chief Constable in 2023. Such relationships are problematic because junior officers may feel unable to refuse advances from someone in a powerful position.
The conduct of senior police leaders matters to public trust in policing. Officers in leadership positions are expected to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards. Misconduct at the top of the organisation can undermine public confidence in its integrity.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Chief constable had trysts with lover while on critical incident duty and told mistress not to attend police bashes when his wife was in attendance, tribunal hears”.