Cleveland police and crime chief Steve Turner admits accepting caution

Cleveland's police and crime commissioner has admitted he received a police caution in the late-1990s while working at a supermarket.

It comes after Labour MP Andy McDonald used parliamentary privilege to claim Steve Turner was "sacked" by a former employer for "systematic theft".

Mr Turner said it related to "an event" but denied he was sacked and added he "voluntarily" tendered his resignation.

The Conservative said it was a "stupid error" and ruled out stepping down.

"My time as PCC is certainly not at an end," he said.

Mr McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough, called on Mr Turner, whose elected position oversees Cleveland Police, to immediately resign.

Parliamentary privilege enables MPs to say whatever they wish in the House of Commons without fear of being sued for defamation.

Mr Turner previously urged Mr McDonald to retract his "unsubstantiated" claims and has since released an open letter to provide "further information and clarification".

In it, Mr Turner writes: "In the late-1990s, I accepted a police caution in relation to an event at a supermarket store where I was employed. I voluntarily tendered my resignation shortly afterwards, and to reiterate I was not 'sacked' from this position."

He described what happened as a "challenging life lesson" and said it had "remained private" over the years, "so as not to impact on my family and friends".

Mr Turner said he had followed all rules governing the appointment of PCCs and confirmed the incident, which happened 22 years ago, was not something that stopped him from standing, or remaining, in his current role.

"In fact, the insight it provided me on how people can make stupid mistakes informs the way I operate as a PCC," he added.

"I trust that the people of Teesside place this minor incident, which occurred in the last century, in its proper context; a stupid error and they support me in getting on with the job to which I was elected in a landslide.

"Whilst it's important to reflect on past experiences good and bad, I remain focussed on the task at hand - how I can support Cleveland Police to improve and make our area a safer place to live and work."

Mr Turner, a former Redcar and Cleveland borough councillor, was elected PCC in May after winning 74,023 votes, almost double that of his nearest rival, Labour's Matthew Storey.

The claim in Parliament was made on Monday when Mr McDonald intervened on shadow cabinet office minister Cat Smith during a Commons debate linked to the Elections Bill.

He told the Commons chamber: "On the topic of police and crime commissioner elections, is she as staggered as I am to learn that the Conservative Party's PCC for Cleveland, Steve Turner, who was elected earlier this year, was in fact sacked in the early-2000s for systematic theft of merchandise from his then employer, Safeway supermarket, at their Norton store?

"Does she agree with me that it's totally untenable for someone who is engaged in such criminal behaviour to hold the position of PCC and he must resign from his role with immediate effect?"

Ms Smith replied: "I'd certainly agree with him it is totally untenable for a criminal to hold the position of police and crime commissioner, and that if what my honourable friend has shared with the House is true then I would expect a resignation and a by-election for that police and crime commissioner with immediate effect."

Following Mr Turner's open letter, Mr McDonald released a statement calling him "unfit" to be PCC and reiterated his call for him to step down.

"Whether he resigned on the discovery of his criminal behaviour or was sacked is not the issue," Mr McDonald said.

"He says it was a minor incident. So minor was it that it resulted in him having to leave his job and receive a police caution and now he sits as police and crime commissioner for the very police force which gave that caution to him.

"Did he tell the Conservative Party about his misdemeanour before they accepted him as their candidate? Did he tell the electorate that he had a police caution before he sought their support at the ballot box? No, he did not. And for very good reason."

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