England and Wales Case Law

Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary (R, on the application of) v Police Misconduct Panel

The Panel's findings on the content and effect of the telephone calls were adequately reasoned and within the range of reasonable decisions, but its decision to impose a final written warning rather than dismissal was inadequately explained and inconsistent with its own findings regarding the failure to follow a superior officer's advice and the seriousness of the harm, thus requiring the outcome decision to be quashed and remitted for reconsideration.

Source excerpt

• Judicial review of disciplinary decisions
• Police misconduct
• Adequacy of reasons
• Sanctions in professional misconduct
• Standard of proof in disciplinary proceedings

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Gabriel Kanter-Webber v The Information Commissioner & Anor

The tribunal refused a FOIA appeal seeking a police misconduct hearing bundle and transcript, holding section 31 applied and the public interest favoured withholding.

• Freedom of information
• Law enforcement exemptions
• Police misconduct
• Public interest test
• Open justice
• Freedom-of-information

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Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary, R (On the Application Of) v Police Misconduct Panel

Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary, R (On the Application Of) v Police Misconduct Panel [2026] EWHC 467 (Admin) (09 February 2026)

The High Court quashed the sanction imposed by a police misconduct panel, finding inadequate reasoning for final written warnings, but upheld its findings on the officers' conduct.

• Police misconduct
• Gross misconduct
• Disciplinary proceedings
• Adequacy of reasons
• Sanctions
• Judicial review standards

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Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, R (On the Application Of) v Police Misconduct Tribunal

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, R (On the Application Of) v Police Misconduct Tribunal [2025] EWHC 3110 (Admin) (27 November 2025)

Judicial review of a police misconduct decision failed. The High Court upheld the Tribunal’s finding on Equality and Diversity and its final written warning sanction.

• Police misconduct
• Equality and diversity
• Disciplinary proceedings
• Harassment
• Gross misconduct
• Sanctions

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The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, R (on the application of) v Police Misconduct Tribunal

Judicial review of a police misconduct decision failed. The High Court held the tribunal had not erred in rejecting an Equality and Diversity breach and its final written warning was rational.

• Police misconduct
• Equality and diversity
• Disciplinary proceedings
• Judicial review
• Gross misconduct
• Sanctions in police discipline

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Greater Manchester Police, R (on the application of) v Police Misconduct Panel

Greater Manchester Police, R (on the application of) v Police Misconduct Panel [2025] EWHC 3018 (Admin) (17 November 2025)

The High Court dismissed a judicial review of a police misconduct panel’s sanction decision, holding that a final written warning for gross misconduct was lawful and adequately reasoned.

• Police misconduct
• Judicial review
• Professional discipline
• Sanctions in disciplinary proceedings
• Standards of professional behaviour
• Mitigation in disciplinary cases

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R v Richard Mills

The combination of aggravating factors, including the appellant's status as a serving police officer, the circumstances of the offences, and the psychological harm caused, justified moving outside the guideline range for count 4 but not for count 2. The personal mitigation and principle of totality required further reduction in the overall sentence, making the original sentence manifestly excessive.

Source excerpt

• Sexual assault
• Sentencing
• Mitigation
• Totality principle
• Police misconduct

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Mills, R. v

Mills, R. v [2025] EWCA Crim 1285 (31 July 2025)

The Court of Appeal reduced a police officer’s sentence for two sexual assaults, finding the original 18-month total was manifestly excessive and adjusting it to 13 months.

• Sexual assault
• Sentencing
• Police misconduct
• Appeal against sentence
• Criminal-sentencing
• Sexual-assault

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Campbell v PC Craig & Ors

Campbell v PC Craig & Ors [2025] EWHC 1899 (KB) (24 July 2025)

The High Court struck out two police-related claims as abusive and duplicative, and imposed a three-year General Civil Restraint Order against the claimant.

• Abuse of process
• Res judicata
• Civil restraint orders
• Police misconduct
• Trespass
• Assault

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De Souza, R. v

De Souza, R. v [2025] EWCA Crim 1145 (17 July 2025)

The Court of Appeal quashed Ronald De Souza’s 1972 conviction after fresh evidence of DS Ridgewell’s dishonesty rendered the prosecution case unsafe.

• Unsafe conviction
• Fresh evidence
• Police misconduct
• Appeal procedure
• Unsafe-conviction
• Fresh-evidence

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