Cleveland PC sacked for car crash lie to cover up lateness

A police officer who lied about attending a car crash to cover up being late for work has been sacked.

PC Andrew Siggens claimed he saw a car spin out of control delaying his commute, but investigations found it to be a "deliberate falsification".

A Cleveland Police misconduct panel heard Mr Siggens being late for work had previously been a "cause of concern and criticism".

He was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct.

The panel said Mr Siggens was due to start his shift at Hartlepool Police Station at 07:00 BST on 23 March.

After initially starting his near 40-mile commute, he had to return home to collect his mobile phone meaning he was not properly on his way until 06:25.

This, the panel said, would mean he would have to drive at at least 60mph the full way which would have been impossible, especially through speed restrictions around the Testo's roundabout roadworks on the A19 at West Boldon near Sunderland.

Mr Siggens called his sergeant at 06:45 to say he was going to be late as he had witnessed a car "lose control and spin 360 degrees before pulling into a layby" on the A19, the panel said.

He claimed to have spoken to the driver before letting him carry on, but the panel found the incident was a "deliberate falsification" in a "dishonest attempt" to justify being late.

The panel said Mr Siggens' sergeants disbelieved his story as it seemed "implausible".

Officers went to speak to the man Mr Siggens claimed to have seen spin out of control, but he was "perplexed".

The man said he had not been involved in any incident and his journey had been "entirely uneventful".

The panel also found Mr Siggens used the Police National Computer (PNC) database to look up the supposed-crash driver's details despite being told not to by a superior officer.

When challenged, Mr Siggens tried to blame the innocent driver saying he must have "backtracked".

But the panel said Mr Siggens' accusation was "feeble and unpersuasive" and the "obvious dishonesty" in the case was the ex-officer's alone.

"We consider [Mr Siggens] to be so seriously dishonest as to be a threat to the integrity of police operations, and to the public, who could have no faith in a force that would wish to keep him," the panel concluded.

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